{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where chamber = \"House\", party = \"Independent\" and year = 2014 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/123114", "News December 31", "2014-12-31", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 31\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 31, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nEconomic Security\u00a0Despite some improvement in the economy, median incomes for American workers are falling. \u201cIf you look at the trend over the last 40 years, millions of people have seen a decline in their real income,\u201d Sanders said Tuesday in a radio interview with Ed Schultz. \u201cEconomic security is of enormous importance,\u201d the senator said on\u00a0The Thom Hartmann Program as he outlined an agenda for the coming year. AUDIO,\u00a0AUDIO\u00a0\u00a0\r\nA Progressive Vision\u00a0\u201cThe great moral, economic and political issue of our time is the growing level of income and wealth inequality in our nation,\u201d Sen. Sanders wrote in a column for\u00a0Daily Kos,\u00a0OpEdNews\u00a0and\u00a0Green Mountain Daily. \"In the year 2015, our job is to gain control over the national debate, stay focused on the issues of real importance to the American people, stand up for our principles, educate and organize.\"\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nVoodoo Economics\u00a0Republicans in Congress plan to fire Doug Elmendorf, the Congressional Budget Office chief, because he won't base economic projections on something they call \"dynamic scoring.\" That is the new buzzword among right-wing economists for a notion that tax cuts result in economic growth that in turn yields more government revenue. \u201cIt is a fraud,\u201d Sen. Sanders said on Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program. It\u2019s what the first President Bush called \u201cvoodoo economics,\u201d Sanders added. \u00a0\u00a0\r\nBudget Committee\u00a0Americans can expect a smaller but more progressive Democratic caucus in the Senate next year, according to\u00a0a blog for Moyers & Company, which noted that Sen. Sanders would lead the chamber's Budget Committee. Sanders hired University of Missouri-Kansas City economics professor Stephanie Kelton to serve as the chief economist for Democrats on the committee,\u00a0The Kansas City Star\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWorld\r\nU.S. Denies Iran Swap Deal\u00a0The United States called on Tuesday for the release of U.S. citizens held in\u00a0Iran, denying a report that Washington had proposed a prisoner exchange for a former U.S. Marine,\u00a0Reuters\u00a0said.\u00a0LINK\r\nKremlin Crackdown\u00a0Police in Moscow briefly detained anticorruption crusader and political opposition Aleksei A. Navalny on Tuesday as he tried to join an unauthorized, antigovernment rally,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported. Navalny is seen as a key leader in the opposition to President Vladimir Putin.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\n6.5 Million Health Care Enrollments\u00a0Nearly 6.5 million people either selected or were enrolled in a new individual insurance plan for 2015 on the HealthCare.gov website through Dec. 26, the U.S. government health agency told\u00a0Reuters.\u00a0The government has said it is aiming for more than 9 million enrollees for 2015.\u00a0LINK\r\nTrade Deal Pushed Republican control of the Senate has elevated pro-trade lawmakers to key positions in leadership and committee control but Republicans inclined to give the president trade-negotiating authority are still seething at his executive action deferring deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants. Democrats may be the bigger problem. Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction on trade, wants to work with the administration but he said he was not about to allow. Obama to negotiate the partnership on his own, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nHospices Rarely Punished for Mistreatment\u00a0Federal regulators have punished few hospices for violating health and safety standards despite large numbers of problem citations,\u00a0The Huffington Post\u00a0said.\u00a0Medicare\u2019s federal regulator has punished a hospice just 16 times in the last decade, despite carrying out 15,000 inspections and identifying more than 31,000 violations.\u00a0LINK\r\nVermont\r\nFairPoint Strike\u00a0Two unions that accused FairPoint Communications of bargaining in bad faith have lost their appeal to the National Labor Relations Board, delivering a blow to striking workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nShumlin Releases Single Payer Details\u00a0Gov. Peter Shumlin's administration on Tuesday released documents that led to the decision to abandon plans to make Vermont the first state in the country with a universal, publicly-funded health care system,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/agenda-for-america", "Agenda for America", "2014-12-31", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Agenda for America \n             12 Steps Forward \n            \n        \n   \n   \n   \t\t\n        \t\n            \t\n                    \n                        Rebuilding Our Crumbling Infrastructure\n                        Reversing Climate Change\n                        Creating Worker Co-ops\n                        Growing the Trade Union Movement\n                        Raising the Minimum Wage\n                        Pay Equity for Women Workers\n                        Trade Policies that Benefit American Workers\n                        Making College Affordable for All\n                        Taking on Wall Street\n                        Health Care as a Right for All\n                        Protecting the Most Vulnerable Americans\n                        Real Tax Reform\n                    \n                \n                \n                \t\n                \n            \n        \n   \n   \n\t    1. Rebuilding Our Crumbling Infrastructure \n       \n       \t\tWe need a major investment to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure: roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants, airports, railroads and schools. It has been estimated that the cost of the Bush-Cheney Iraq War, a war we should never have waged, will total $3 trillion by the time the last veteran receives needed care. A $1 trillion investment in infrastructure could create 13 million decent paying jobs and make this country more efficient and productive. We need to invest in infrastructure, not more war.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n   \n   \n\t    2. Reversing Climate Change \n       \n       \t\tThe United States must lead the world in reversing climate change and make certain that this planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren. We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energies. Millions of homes and buildings need to be weatherized, our transportation system needs to be energy efficient and we need to greatly accelerate the progress we are already seeing in wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other forms of sustainable energy. Transforming our energy system will not only protect the environment, it will create good paying jobs.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n\t    3. Creating Worker Co-ops \n       \n       \t\tWe need to develop new economic models to increase job creation and productivity. Instead of giving huge tax breaks to corporations which ship our jobs to China and other low-wage countries, we need to provide assistance to workers who want to purchase their own businesses by establishing worker-owned cooperatives. Study after study shows that when workers have an ownership stake in the businesses they work for, productivity goes up, absenteeism goes down and employees are much more satisfied with their jobs.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    4. Growing the Trade Union Movement \n       \n       \t\tUnion workers who are able to collectively bargain for higher wages and benefits earn substantially more than non-union workers. Today, corporate opposition to union organizing makes it extremely difficult for workers to join a union. We need legislation which makes it clear that when a majority of workers sign cards in support of a union, they can form a union.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    5. Raising the Minimum Wage \n       \n       \t\tThe current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is a starvation wage. We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. No one in this country who works 40 hours a week should live in poverty.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    6. Pay Equity for Women Workers \n       \n       \t\tWomen workers today earn 78 percent of what their male counterparts make. We need pay equity in our country \u2014 equal pay for equal work.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    7. Trade Policies that Benefit American Workers \n       \n       \t\tSince 2001 we have lost more than 60,000 factories in this country, and more than 4.9 million decent-paying manufacturing jobs. We must end our disastrous trade policies (NAFTA, CAFTA, PNTR with China, etc.) which enable corporate America to shut down plants in this country and move to China and other low-wage countries. We need to end the race to the bottom and develop trade policies which demand that American corporations create jobs here, and not abroad. Sign the petition to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership \u2014 another trade deal disaster \u00bb\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    8. Making College Affordable for All \n       \n       \t\tIn today's highly competitive global economy, millions of Americans are unable to afford the higher education they need in order to get good-paying jobs. Further, with both parents now often at work, most working-class families can't locate the high-quality and affordable child care they need for their kids. Quality education in America, from child care to higher education, must be affordable for all. Without a high-quality and affordable educational system, we will be unable to compete globally and our standard of living will continue to decline.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    9. Taking on Wall Street \n       \n       \t\tThe function of banking is to facilitate the flow of capital into productive and job-creating activities. Financial institutions cannot be an island unto themselves, standing as huge profit centers outside of the real economy. Today, six huge Wall Street financial institutions have assets equivalent to 61 percent of our gross domestic product - over $9.8 trillion. These institutions underwrite more than half the mortgages in this country and more than two-thirds of the credit cards. The greed, recklessness and illegal behavior of major Wall Street firms plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. They are too powerful to be reformed. They must be broken up.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    10. Health Care as a Right for All \n       \n       \t\tThe United States must join the rest of the industrialized world and recognize that health care is a right of all, and not a privilege. Despite the fact that more than 40 million Americans have no health insurance, we spend almost twice as much per capita on health care as any other nation. We need to establish a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    11. Protecting the Most Vulnerable Americans \n       \n       \t\tMillions of seniors live in poverty and we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country. We must strengthen the social safety net, not weaken it. Instead of cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and nutrition programs, we should be expanding these programs.\n       \n       \n   \n   \n\t    12. Real Tax Reform \n       \n       \t\tAt a time of massive wealth and income inequality, we need a progressive tax system in this country which is based on ability to pay. It is not acceptable that major profitable corporations have paid nothing in federal income taxes, and that corporate CEOs in this country often enjoy an effective tax rate which is lower than their secretaries. It is absurd that we lose over $100 billion a year in revenue because corporations and the wealthy stash their cash in offshore tax havens around the world. The time is long overdue for real tax reform.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/123014", "News December 30", "2014-12-30", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 30\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 30, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSanders: Trade Deal is a \u2018Disaster\u2019 Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday that he opposes a major trade deal that he says will lead to fewer jobs in the United States. He said the White House hopes to rush a treaty for a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership through Congress next year. Sanders said treaties like this force American workers to compete against low-wage labor around the world leading to massive U.S. job losses, WFFF-TV and WVNY-TV reported. VIDEO, VIDEO\u00a0\r\nA Progressive Vision\u00a0\u201cThe great moral, economic and political issue of our time is the growing level of income and wealth inequality in our nation,\u201d Sen. Sanders wrote in a column for\u00a0The Huffington Post. Sanders called the disparity \u201ca disgrace to everything this country is supposed to stand for,\u201d MSNBC reported on Tuesday. Sanders said progressives must stay focused on issues of real importance to the American people,\u00a0The Hill\u00a0reported.\u00a0 LINK,\u00a0LINK, VIDEO\r\nRx Prices Escalating prices of some generic drugs are causing raised eyebrows and drained checking accounts. Sen. Sanders, chairman of a Senate health care subcommittee, has been outspoken on the increase in cost of generic drugs, the Herald-Whig in Quincy, Illinois, reported. \"We are talking about the need of the American people to be able to afford the medicine that their doctors prescribe,\" Sanders told the Chicago Tribune. LINK\r\nPhoenix VA A federal administrative law judge upheld the firing of the former Phoenix VA director but rejected charges that she covered up long wait times. The judge concluded that it is \"more likely than not that at least some senior leaders were aware or should have been of nationwide problems getting veterans scheduled for timely appointments.\u201d A Fox News report showed former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki telling Chairman Sanders at a hearing in May that there was not a widespread problem of VA officials \u201ccooking the books.\u201d\r\nWorld\r\nEmbassy in Iran\u00a0President Barack Obama said he wouldn't rule out opening an embassy in Iran if the country can prove it's\u00a0\"actually not interested in developing a nuclear weapon,\"\u00a0CBS News\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nGmail Blocked in China\u00a0Google's Gmail was blocked in\u00a0China\u00a0after months of disruptions to the world's biggest email service. An anti-censorship advocate suggested a government firewall was to blame, Reuters\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nObama Warns GOP of Vetoes in 2015\u00a0Bracing to do business with a Congress run solely by Republicans, President Obama is serving notice he has no qualms about vetoing legislation he dislikes,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0\"I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office,\" Obama said in an NPR interview. \"Now, I suspect, there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that pen out... I'm going to defend gains that we've made in health care. I'm going to defend gains that we've made on environment and clean air and clean water.\"\u00a0LINK\r\nLoan Sharks Prey on Service Members Lenders are exploiting legal loopholes and gouging United States military personnel with pricey financial products, according to a federal consumer watchdog. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in a report on Monday that laws restricting how much interest firms can charge for payday, auto title and other loans are too narrow. Under the Military Lending Act, lenders are barred from charging U.S. service people more than 36 percent interest for certain short-term loans. But financial firms are effectively skirting the rules by offering longer-term loans to U.S. service people and their families, allowing lenders to hit borrowers with higher rates and heavy fees, CBS News reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nVermont Yankee Ends Operations\u00a0Vermont's only nuclear plant stopped sending power to the New England grid Monday following more than 42 years of producing electricity,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported. LINK\r\nJudge Appointed A Burlington attorney is going to become the newest judge on the Vermont Superior Court. Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the appointment of Nancy Waples on Monday. Waples is currently an attorney with the Burlington law firm of Hoff Curtis where she focuses on criminal defense. She has also served as an assistant United States Attorney in the criminal division.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122914", "News December 29", "2014-12-29", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 29\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 29, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nState of the Union Mount Anthony Union High School student Alexina Federhen made news when she won Sen. Sanders\u2019 essay contest, earning the school a visit from the independent senator, according to a Bennington Banner review of top news in the past year. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nJet Lost at Sea The head of the Indonesian agency searching for a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 people said Monday that he believed the aircraft was \u201cat the bottom of the sea,\u201d\u00a0 The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nUnemployment\u00a0 A U.S. economy that suddenly looks healthy\u201450 straight months of job gains, best quarter of growth in 11 years\u2014is falling short in a key area. It isn\u2019t luring back many of the millions who dropped out of the labor market during the down times. Over the past three months, an average of 6.8 percent of those outside the labor force either found a job or began looking for one. That means people are entering the labor force at the lowest pace in records kept since 1990, down from more than 8 percent in 2010. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nBorder Crossings People who cross into the United States by land a have new tool to help them learn where the shortest lines are at some border crossings. Earlier this month U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched its Border Wait Time app. It provides estimated wait times and open lane status at some land ports of entry, The Associated Press reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-tpp-trade-deal-a-disaster", "Sanders: TPP Trade Deal a Disaster", "2014-12-29", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders: TPP Trade Deal a \u2018Disaster\u2019\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 29, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 29 \u2013 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will oppose a major global trade deal that would lead to fewer jobs and lower pay for workers in the United States.\r\nSanders said he would work with organized labor, environmental groups and other opponents of a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that the White House hopes to rush through Congress in the coming year. He issued a statement citing 10 reasons to oppose the agreement.\r\n\u201cThe Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world,\u201d Sanders said.\r\nThe treaty, which is expected to come before Congress in 2015, was written in secret with the help of Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry and major media companies. The American public and members of Congress, however, were locked out of the process.\r\nThe proposed agreement builds on similar ones such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central America Free Trade Agreement and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. \u201cThese treaties have forced American workers to compete against desperate and low-wage labor around the world. The result has been massive job losses in the United States and the shutting down of tens of thousands of factories.\r\n\u201cThe TPP is more of the same, but even worse,\u201d Sanders added. \u201cIt is part of a global race to the bottom to boost the profits of large corporations and Wall Street by outsourcing\u00a0 jobs; undercutting worker rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health, food safety and financial laws; and allowing corporations to challenge our laws in international tribunals rather than our own court system.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIf TPP was such a good deal for America, the administration should have the courage to show the American people exactly what is in this deal, instead of keeping the content a secret,\u201d Sanders said.\r\nTo read the senator\u2019s full statement, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-trade-deal-a-disaster", "Sanders: Trade Deal a 'Disaster'", "2014-12-29", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders: Trade Deal a 'Disaster'\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 29, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\r\nSen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tours a National Museum of American History gift shop that was restocked at his urging with all made-in-America merchandise on June 8, 2011.\r\n\r\nSen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday that he will oppose a major global trade deal that would lead to fewer jobs and lower pay for workers in the United States. Sanders said he would work with organized labor, environmental groups and other opponents of a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that the White House hopes to rush through Congress in the coming year. He issued a statement citing 10 reasons to oppose the agreement.\r\n\u201cThe Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world,\u201d Sanders said.\r\nThe treaty, which is expected to come before Congress in 2015, was written in secret with the help of Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry and major media companies. The American public and members of Congress, however, were locked out of the process.\r\nThe proposed agreement builds on similar ones such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central America Free Trade Agreement and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. \u201cThese treaties have forced American workers to compete against desperate and low-wage labor around the world. The result has been massive job losses in the United States and the shutting down of tens of thousands of factories.\r\n\u201cThe TPP is more of the same, but even worse,\u201d Sanders added. \u201cIt is part of a global race to the bottom to boost the profits of large corporations and Wall Street by outsourcing\u00a0 jobs; undercutting worker rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health, food safety and financial laws; and allowing corporations to challenge our laws in international tribunals rather than our own court system.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIf TPP was such a good deal for America, the administration should have the courage to show the American people exactly what is in this deal, instead of keeping the content a secret,\u201d Sanders said.\r\nTo read the senator\u2019s full statement, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122814", "News December 28", "2014-12-28", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 28\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 28, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nWorld\r\nU.S. Ends Combat Mission in Afghanistan U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan are formally ending their combat mission on Sunday, leaving Afghan forces to battle a still-resilient Taliban insurgency largely on their own, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nAs Medicaid Rolls Swell, Cuts Loom Just as millions of people are gaining insurance through Medicaid, the program is poised to make deep cuts in payments to many doctors, prompting some physicians and consumer advocates to warn that the reductions could make it more difficult for Medicaid patients to obtain care. The impact will vary by state, but a study by the Urban Institute estimates that doctors who have been receiving the enhanced payments will see their fees for primary care cut by 43 percent, on average, The New York Times reported.\u00a0\r\nVermont\r\nVermont Yankee Shuting Down Monday marks the end of power generation at Vermont Yankee. Control room operators at the nuclear power plant will insert control rods to bring an end to 42\u00bd years of generation, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK\r\nLeahy Photo Exhibit\u00a0Sen. Patrick Leahy will be in Brattleboro this week for a display of photos he has taken during his 40 years in the Senate. The display at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center will include pictures of American Alan Gross as he was released from prison in Cuba earlier this month. Leahy was part of the team that traveled to Havana to retrieve Gross, AP reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/media/wgans-inside-maine-with-senator-angus-king-and-gwi-ceo-and-founder-fletcher-kittredge-december-2014", "WGAN's Inside Maine with Senator Angus King and GWI CEO and Founder Fletcher Kittredge, December 2014", "2014-12-27", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content\n\n\t\n\n    \n    \n        \n            \n            \n                \n\t\n    \n\t\n    \n\t\n    \n\t\n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n                \n                \n                \n                \n                \n                \n                \n            \n             WGAN's Inside Maine with Senator Angus King and GWI CEO and Founder Fletcher Kittredge, December 2014", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/media/wgans-inside-maine-with-senator-angus-king-and-senator-cory-booker-december-2014", "WGAN's Inside Maine with Senator Angus King and Senator Cory Booker, December 2014", "2014-12-27", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content\n\n\t\n\n    \n    \n        \n            \n            \n                \n\t\n    \n\t\n    \n\t\n    \n\t\n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n                \n                \n                \n                \n                \n                \n                \n            \n             WGAN's Inside Maine with Senator Angus King and Senator Cory Booker, December 2014", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/chicago-gave-hundreds-of-high-risk-kids-a-summer-job-violent-crime-arrests-plummeted", "Chicago gave hundreds of high-risk kids a summer job. Violent crime arrests plummeted.", "2014-12-27", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Chicago gave hundreds of high-risk kids a summer job. Violent crime arrests plummeted.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By:\u00a0 Emily Badger \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 27, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tIn a year full of distressing stories \u2014 especially about race, crime and violence in urban neighborhoods \u2014 this one points to some hope. Earlier this December, we covered a summer jobs program in Chicago that appeared to lead to fewer teenage arrests for violent crime. Our\u00a0original story, republished below, also reminds us that policy solutions are possible \u2014 and possibly even inexpensive.\r\nA couple of years ago, the city of Chicago started\u00a0a summer jobs programfor teenagers attending high schools in some of the city's high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. The program was meant, of course, to connect students to work. But officials also hoped that it might curb the kinds of problems \u2014 like higher crime \u2014 that arise when there's no work to be found.\r\nResearch on the program\u00a0conducted by the University of Chicago Crime Lab\u00a0and just published in the journal\u00a0Science\u00a0suggests that these summer jobs have actually had such an effect: Students who were randomly assigned to participate in the program had 43 percent fewer violent-crime arrests over 16 months, compared to students in a control group.\r\nThat number is striking for a couple of reasons: It implies that a relatively short (and inexpensive) intervention like an eight-week summer jobs program can have a lasting effect on teenage behavior. And it lends empirical support to a popular refrain by advocates: \"Nothing stops a bullet like a job.\"\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122714", "News December 27", "2014-12-27", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 27\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 27, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\u00a0\r\nVeterans\u2019 Home The Vermont Veterans Home is expected to get a federal grant of almost $1 million. Joseph Krawczyk Jr., chairman of the home\u2019s board of trustees, said it was \u201cgreat\u201d to hear from Sen. Sanders that the project was now\u00a0on the VA\u2019s priority list.\u00a0\u201cSen. Sanders\u00a0has always been a great supporter, not just of the veterans home, but of veterans overall throughout the country and we\u2019re really happy he comes from Vermont,\u201d Krawczyk told the Rutland Herald. LINK\r\nWorld\u00a0\r\nN. Korea North Korea called President Barack Obama \"a monkey\" and blamed the U.S. on Saturday for shutting down its Internet amid the hacking row over the comedy \"The Interview.\" North Korea has denied involvement in a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures but has expressed fury over the comedy depicting an assassination of its leader Kim Jong Un, CBS News reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nNational\r\nThousands Expected at NYPD Funeral Thousands of police officers will gather in Queens, New York today for the funeral of New York City Police Officer Rafael Ramos. He was ambushed along with his partner one week ago. Today he will be laid to rest, with the nation's Vice President attending, CBS News reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nTrade Deal President Obama is preparing a major push on a vast free-trade zone that seeks to enlist Republicans as partners and test his premise that Washington can still find common ground on major initiatives.\r\nIt also will test his willingness to buck his own party in pursuit of a legacy-burnishing achievement. Already, fellow Democrats are accusing him of abandoning past promises on trade and potentially undermining his domestic priority of reducing income inequality, according to The Washington Post. LINK\u00a0\r\nJobs and Crime A couple of years ago, the city of Chicago started a summer jobs program for teenagers attending high schools in some of the city's high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. The program was meant to connect students to work, but officials also hoped that it might curb the kinds of problems like higher crime that arise when there's no work to be found. Research on the program conducted by the University of Chicago Crime Lab suggests that these summer jobs have actually had such an effect, The Washington Post reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nVermont\r\nFuel Prices The Vermont Fuel Dealers Association says it's been getting questions from people who regret they got into a contract for fuel last summer at prices higher than they are now. But the group says a contract is a contract, and that dealers also are locked into contracts, with wholesale prices negotiated last summer, before the recent oil price decline. The state Department of Public Service reports that Vermont's average spot price for oil has dropped from nearly $3.75 per gallon in May to about $3.22 a gallon now, AP reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122614", "News December 26", "2014-12-26", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 26\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 26, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\u00a0\r\nNational\r\nNSA Admits Privacy Violations\u00a0The National Security Agency has released heavily redacted accounts of its employees\u2019 violations against Americans\u2019 privacy after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Responding to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the agency was required to file the reports with the Intelligence Oversight Board, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nPhoenix VA Long before that the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix manipulated waiting lists to hide that veterans were facing long delays to see doctors, senior department officials in Washington were aware of serious problems. The documents in the case of the Phoenix hospital director Sharon Helman, who contested her firing, provided new details of how much officials knew about the medical center, including patient backlogs, shortages of medical personnel and clinic space, and long waiting lists, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nFemale Veterans Thousands of female veterans are struggling to get health-care treatment and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the grounds that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by sexual trauma in the military. The veterans and their advocates call it \u201cthe second battle\u201d \u2014 with a bureaucracy they say is stuck in the past, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nVeterans\u2019 Home The union representing Vermont state employees says the state is being cruel to put out word of layoffs at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington at Christmastime. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding said layoff notices have not gone out yet, but the Vermont State Employees Association has to be notified 35 days before reductions take effect. He said about six workers will lose their jobs due to a declining population at the home, AP reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122414", "News December 24", "2014-12-24", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 24\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 24, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nFairPoint Strike Sen. Sanders renewed his call for FairPoint Communications to return to the bargaining table and negotiate with unions representing 1,700 striking works in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. \u201cI worry very much about the quality of service that FairPoint is providing,\u201d he noted in the WCAX-TV interview. Meanwhile, New Hampshire delayed action on a $13 million state contract with FairPoint. \"I have big concerns \u2026 FairPoint right now wouldn't live up to the terms in the contract,\" Democratic Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern said. VIDEO\u00a0\r\nSingle Payer Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin\u2019s decision to step back from developing the nation\u2019s first single-payer health care system was \u201cobviously a disappointment for many people in the state,\u201d Sen. Sanders said in the WCAX-TV interview. \u201cI look forward to working with the governor to see how we go forward.\u201d The governor\u2019s surprise announcement last week came as Sanders was touting Vermont as a model for the nation, Steve Early wrote for The Huffington Post and Truthout.org. VIDEO, LINK, LINK\u00a0\r\nPostal Service With layoffs looming for up to 15,000 postal workers, Congress adjourned without passing a one-year moratorium on reduced mail delivery standards and plant closings, according to John Nichols of The Nation. He counted Sen. Sanders among the Postal Service\u2019s \u201cgenuine advocates in Congress.\u201d LINK\r\nPre-K Education Vermont recently was awarded what is expected to be a four-year federal grant of more than $30 million for early-childhood education. \u201cI am very excited about that. I am a member of the education committee and we worked very hard on that,\u201d Sen. Sanders said in an interview on WCAX-TV. \u201cWhat the psychologists tell us is that the age from zero to four are the most important years in development. VIDEO, LINK\r\n$1 Million for Vets Home The Vermont Veterans\u2019 Home stands a good chance of receiving nearly $1 million from the\u00a0federal government to renovate its aging kitchen. Sen. Sanders said the Department of Veterans Affairs has placed the Vermont Veterans\u2019 Home on a priority list for a federal matching grant, the Bennington Banner and Stars and Stripes reported. LINK, LINK\r\nHappy Holidays Sen. Sanders in November introduced legislation\u00a0to create a national holiday on Election Day, the Huffington Post noted in a report on the history of national holidays in the United States. LINK\r\nWorld\u00a0\r\nISIS Shoots Down Jet From U.S.-Led Coalition Militants from the Islamic State extremist group have shot down a fighter jet over Syria deployed by the United States-led coalition that is battling the group and have captured a pilot from an Arab country, a Syrian monitoring organization told The New York Times on Wednesday. LINK\r\nLeahy Helps Cuban Mother A U.S. senator who paved the way for a Cuban prisoner to impregnate his wife while he was behind bars in the United States said Tuesday that his efforts had nothing to do with politics. Adriana Perez is almost nine months pregnant, thanks to artificial insemination with sperm from convicted spy Gerardo Hernandez \u2014 and secret assistance from Sen. Patrick Leahy. \"It was a human thing. It had nothing to do with the politics of the two countries,\" Leahy said in an interview aired Tuesday on the NBC News program \u201cToday.\u201d LINK\r\nNational\r\nEconomic Rebound The Commerce Department said the U.S. economy expanded at a 5 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate in the third quarter, its strongest pace in 11 years. In a separate report, the department said consumer spending accelerated last month amid rising incomes and falling gasoline prices, according to The Wall Street Journal. LINK\u00a0\r\nFDA Modifies Gay Blood Donor Rule The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it would scrap a decades-old lifetime prohibition on blood donation by gay and bisexual men but continue to ban men who have had sex with a man in the last year, saying the barrier is necessary to keep the blood supply safe, The New York Times reported. LINK\u00a0\r\n\u2018The Interview\u2019 Sony Pictures Entertainment announced Tuesday a limited theatrical release of \"The Interview\" beginning Thursday, putting back into the theaters the comedy that prompted an international incident with North Korea, threats of violence and outrage over its cancelled release. The Palace 9 Cinemas in South Burlington will start screening the controversial film \u201cThe Interview\u201d on New Year\u2019s Eve.\r\nVermont\r\nGas Prices Some Vermonters continue to benefit from plummeting gasoline prices. According to GasBuddy.com, the lowest price in Vermont right now is $2.39 a gallon at the Troy Country Store and Butler's Family Auto in Barton. The average price in the state is $2.79 a gallon. Burlington area stations, however, are among those on the top end of the scale with prices as high as $2.99 a gallon, WCAX-TV reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nVermont Census The Census Bureau on Tuesday estimated Vermont\u2019s population in 2014 dipped slightly to 626,562 people. Wyoming was smaller with 584,153 people. The District of Columbia grew to 658,893. Florida overcame New York as the third most populace state behind California and Texas. LINK\r\nSingle Payer \u201cMr. Shumlin has succeeded in making Vermont a national model: By admitting that single payer will make health care both more expensive and less efficient, he has shown other states what not to do,\u201d an editorial in The Wall Street Journal concluded. LINK\r\nKeurig Recall Waterbury-based Keurig Green Mountain is recalling millions of home brewing machines from stores in the U.S. and Canada due to a potential safety hazard. The company says in some cases Keurig MINI Plus Brewing Systems have overheated and sprayed hot water on users, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-122414", "The Week in Review", "2014-12-24", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Week in Review\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 26, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Week in Review\r\nHome for the holidays in Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders sat down on Tuesday with WCAX-TV\u2019s Kyle Midura to discuss state and national issues ranging from an exciting new early childhood education program in Vermont to a lingering strike by 1,700 workers in northern New England against a major Internet and phone service provider for the region.\u00a0 On Monday, Sanders spoke with WBUR-FM in Boston about a host of national issues including how he will use his new assignment as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee to fend off Republican attacks on Social Security and Medicare.\r\nWatch the WCAX-TV interview\r\nBig Ideas Sanders \u201chas some big ideas about how to rein in big banks, cut defense spending, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and address income and wealth inequality in the United States,\u201d according to\u00a0WBUR-FM\u00a0in Boston. The senator\u00a0discussed those and other topics during a wide-ranging interview Monday.\u00a0\r\nListen to the WBUR-FM interview\r\nVeterans Home The Vermont Veterans\u2019 Home is in line for a nearly $1 million grant to help pay for a renovation project. The outgoing chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs, Sanders said the Department of Veterans Affairs has placed the Vermont Veterans\u2019 Home on a priority list for a federal matching grant.\r\nAn Unsung Heroine \u201cGretchen Baily is an unsung heroine,\u201d Sanders said of the Senate office\u2019s casework coordinator whose last day on the job was Monday.\u00a0 Bailey led a team that has helped tens of thousands of Vermonters cut through red tape.. Earlier this year, she won a prestigious award for exemplary public service.\u00a0 \u201cGretchen strongly believes that government should work for people,\u201d Sanders wrote a letter nominating her for the award. \u201cGretchen has dedicated her life to this mission.\u201d\r\nRead more about Gretchen Bailey\r\nNeed help?", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/oped/torture-and-the-arc-of-history", "Torture and the Arc of History", "2014-12-23", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Torture and the Arc of History\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                    By:\u00a0\r\n                    Senator Angus King\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Tuesday, December 23, 2014\r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \"Military necessity does not admit of cruelty...\"\r\n-- Abraham Lincoln  General Order 100, Article 16  April 24, 1863\r\nAs usual, Lincoln captures the heart of the matter in a few words. In the midst of the gravest threat to our national existence -- \"military necessity\" of the highest order -- his general order to the Union Army established the clear bounds of conduct toward captured enemy combatants and informs us today as we wrestle with similar issues of national security and human dignity.\r\nHere is the full text--\r\n \r\nMilitary necessity does not admit of cruelty, that is, the infliction of suffering for the sake of suffering or for revenge, nor for maiming or wounding except in fight, nor torture to extort confessions.\r\n \r\nThe national debate that has raged since the recent release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the CIA's \"Enhanced Interrogation Techniques\" has bounced around various issues, including the process that produced the report, the CIA's candor in connection with the program, how the program was managed, whether the report was a partisan exercise, how much it cost, who was interviewed, and whether it should have been released at all.\r\nBut while this is the stuff of debate on cable news and the occasional speech on the Senate floor, none of these issues go to the fundamental question -- whether torture should be a part of our national security toolkit under any circumstances. And it's the \"any circumstances\" part which makes this so hard. The second basic question, inextricably tied to the first, is whether torture works -- is it an effective tool for extracting otherwise unavailable information which may save thousands or even millions of lives.\r\nThis is what some supporters of the techniques refer to as the ticking time bomb scenario -- the good guy (let's call him Jack Bauer) has before him the bad guy who has the code to defuse the bomb which will incinerate an American city. Millions of lives are at stake, there is no time to spare, the terrorist has no remorse and is refusing to cooperate. Very few people faced with this precise situation would tell Jack Bauer that the human rights of the terrorist trump the lives of millions of innocents. But the problem with the scenario is that it never happens so clearly in real life and the result of answering yes to the theoretical question inevitably leads to the slipperiest of slopes toward real-life brutality and dishonor.\r\nAnd this is exactly what happened in this case. Although there are arguments to be made about the process which produced the Senate report, the totality of the picture it paints with stark clarity is of a quick descent from something close to the ticking time bomb (the possibility of a second attack after 9/11) to waterboarding (183 times in one case), forced rectal feeding, and death from hypothermia after being chained naked to a concrete floor -- all with little or no new intelligence gained, plots foiled, or bad guys captured. This latter conclusion is at the heart of the report -- the torture didn't work. After reviewing in excruciating detail the 20 cases used repeatedly by the CIA's leadership to justify the program, the report makes a very powerful case that the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (as John McCain pointed out recently, an Orwellian phrase if ever there was one) were not effective in producing new and reliable information. And this squares with the consensus of professional interrogators -- that conventional approaches to interrogation, like those employed regularly by our intelligence, military, and law enforcement officials, produce more information and (importantly) more reliable information than torture without undermining our moral authority, serving as a recruitment poster for our enemies, or staining our national character. Interestingly, the CIA position on the \"did it work\" question -- after being confronted with the data in the report -- has migrated from the certainty of 10 years ago to today's position that the answer to this question is \"unknowable.\" This is a huge concession by those in a good position to know and drastically undermines the case for torture that the architects of this program are still maintaining and that entertainment like\u00a024and\u00a0Zero Dark Thirty\u00a0have drummed into all of us. The arc of human history is from brutality to civilization, although this progression is neither steady nor unbroken; man's inhumanity to man has always been and will continue to be part of the human condition. But an important inflection point on that arc was the radical notion at the core of the founding of this country, that \"All men are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights...\" We set out to be different, to break with a past where cruelty was routine, humanity was disposable, and an enemy's barbarity justified a response in kind. We may not live this creed every day; surely we have fallen short. But to deliberately betray it, especially for gains which are \"unknowable,\" is a betrayal of our very identity as a nation. In the last analysis, what makes us exceptional in history's arc is that we acknowledge our failings -- as we have in this case -- and move on, true to ourselves and to the revolutionary vision of our founders.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-reed-lead-bipartisan-coalition-of-senators-seeking-to-boost-liheap-fuel-assistance-", "Collins, King, Reed Lead Bipartisan Coalition of Senators Seeking to Boost LIHEAP Fuel Assistance", "2014-12-23", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, King, Reed Lead Bipartisan Coalition of Senators Seeking to Boost LIHEAP Fuel Assistance \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 23, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u00a0In an effort to help provide fuel assistance to households struggling with their winter heating bills, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME) and Jack Reed (D-RI) are once again leading the effort to restore and increase federal heating assistance to low-income families and seniors to past years\u2019 levels.\r\nCollins and Reed are leading a bipartisan coalition of 43 U.S. Senators, including King, in urging the President to provide Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at no less than $4.7 billion.\u00a0 Last year, Senators Reed and Collins successfully led the effort, with Sen. King\u2019s support, to increase funding for LIHEAP by $169 million as part of the 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which the President signed into law in January.\u00a0 The (FY) 2015 Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed by Congress this week provides $3.39 billion in LIHEAP funding through September 30, 2015.\r\n   LIHEAP is the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months. \u00a0LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country. \u00a0According to the National Energy Assistance Director's Association, more than 90 percent of LIHEAP recipients have at least one household member who is a child, elderly, or disabled, and 20 percent of households include at least one veteran.\r\nThe current funding level is able to serve just 20 percent of the eligible population, and those who receive LIHEAP assistance have seen their average grant reduced by nearly $100 since 2010, from $520 in FY 2010 to $424 in FY 2014.\u00a0 With the average LIHEAP grant estimated to cover less than half of the average home heating costs for a household this winter, many low-income families and seniors will struggle to pay for the basic necessity of home energy and will have fewer resources available to meet other essential needs. \u201cThe LIHEAP program is one of our most effective tools to help senior citizens and less-fortunate households keep warm during the winter,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Collins.\u00a0 \u201cEnergy costs remain high and LIHEAP funding is a vital lifeline that helps prevent people from having to choose between heating their home, paying their bills, or going without food or medicine.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\u201cMaine\u2019s bitterly cold winters present serious challenges for our state\u2019s most vulnerable families, who often end up having to confront the choice of whether to pay the ever-increasing heating bill or provide for everyday necessities,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cI urge the Administration to\u00a0include\u00a0these critical funds, which will help tens of thousands of Mainers to stay warm while still being able to make ends meet.\u201d \u201cFunding for LIHEAP is not keeping up with demand.\u00a0 We are doing everything we can to stretch these federal dollars, but more families are in need and we need to protect them during the cold winter months.\u00a0 We must keep the pressure on this Administration to robustly fund this critical program so that thousands of families can keep their heat on in the winter.\u00a0 We must also continue making smart investments in weatherizing more homes to try to reduce both energy bills and fuel consumption,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Reed, noting that\u00a0LIHEAP helped about 34,000 Rhode Islanders with their energy bills last year. Text of the letter is provided below: President\u00a0   The White House   1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW   Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President,\r\n   We are writing to request that you prioritize the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in your Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 budget proposal by including no less than $4.7 billion for this program that provides critical support to our most vulnerable citizens. LIHEAP is the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months. LIHEAP households are among the most vulnerable in the country. According to the National Energy Assistance Director's Association, more than 90 percent of LIHEAP recipients have at least one household member who is a child, elderly, or disabled, and 20 percent of households include at least one veteran. For these households, LIHEAP funding has been a lifeline during challenging economic times. Access to affordable home energy is not a luxury. It is a matter of health and safety. We understand the ongoing discretionary budget challenges. However, we are deeply concerned that the number of households eligible for LIHEAP assistance continues to exceed available funding while the average cost of home heating is expected to remain unaffordable for millions of households nationwide. In fact, the current funding level is able to serve just 20 percent of the eligible population, and those who receive LIHEAP assistance have seen their average grant reduced by nearly $100 since 2010, from $520 in FY 2010 to $424 in FY 2014. Additionally, the purchasing power of LIHEAP has declined in recent years. Since FY 2010, the average LIHEAP grant has fallen from about 60 percent to 44 percent of the cost of home heating. For households using delivered fuels, this decline is even more dramatic, covering just 18 percent of heating oil and propane costs. With the average LIHEAP grant estimated to cover less than half of the average home heating costs for a household this winter, many low-income families and seniors will struggle to pay for the basic necessity of home energy and will have fewer resources available to meet other essential needs. As you finalize your FY 2016 budget request, we ask that you take into account the high demand for LIHEAP assistance. We urge you to reprioritize this program within your FY 2016 budget and restore funding to this program to a level no less than $4.7 billion.   Thank you for your attention to and consideration of this important request. Sincerely, Jack Reed   Susan Collins   Angus King   Sherrod Brown   Kelly Ayotte   Edward Markey   Lisa Murkowski   Bernard Sanders   Sheldon Whitehouse   Tom Udall   Amy Klobuchar   Jeff Merkley   Tammy Baldwin   Richard Blumenthal   Mazie Hirono   Jeanne Shaheen   Al Franken   Kirsten Gillibrand   Carl Levin   Mark Pryor   Mark Begich   Kay Hagan   Robert Casey   John Walsh   Mary Landrieu   John Rockefeller   Chris Coons   Patrick Leahy   Tim Johnson   Joe Manchin   Richard Durbin   Brian Schatz   Elizabeth Warren   Cory Booker   Robert Menendez   Dianne Feinstein   Chris Murphy   Debbie Stabenow   Charles Schumer   Tim Kaine   Ron Wyden   Maria Cantwell   Jon Tester\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122314", "News December 23", "2014-12-23", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 23\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 23, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSanders Has \u2018Big Ideas\u2019 Sen. Bernie Sanders \u201chas some big ideas about how to rein in big banks, cut defense spending, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and address income and wealth inequality in the United States,\u201d according to WBUR-FM in Boston. Sanders discussed those topics during a wide-ranging interview Monday. LINK\r\nStrengthen Social Security In the final days of the 2014 Congress, Sen. Sanders promised to push for new legislation to break up the big banks and expand Social Security, Thom Hartmann said Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program. LINK\r\n$1 Million for Vermont Veterans\u2019 Home The state-run Vermont Veterans' Home in Bennington is in line for a nearly $1 million federal matching grant. Sen. Sanders, who chairs the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, announced the Department of Veterans Affairs has put the Bennington facility on a priority list for construction grants in 2015, The Associated Press and WVNY-TV reported. LINK, VIDEO\r\nWorld\r\nN. Korea Web Goes Down While perhaps a coincidence, the failure, which lasted about 10 hours, began after President Obama said the U.S. would respond to an act of \u201ccybervandalism\u201d against Sony Pictures, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nMcConnel Going on Offense Sen. Mitch McConnell, the incoming majority leader, knows his real problem is not corralling mavericks in his party like Senator Ted Cruz. It is persuading other Senate Republicans conditioned to voting no that it is time to vote yes. \u201cOne of my challenges is to try to convince some of my members that passing an appropriations bill is a good thing, not a bad thing,\u201d McConnell said during an interview with The New York Times. LINK\r\nFairPoint Contract Up in New Hampshire New Hampshire's Executive Council today will consider a $13 million state contract with FairPoint Communications as the company's Northern New England workers continue to strike. If the contract is approved, FairPoint would provide telephone and Internet services for the state through 2020. Four other companies also bid on the contract, AP reported. LINK\r\nGas Prices Gasoline prices have fallen a record 88 straight days to an average of $2.36 a gallon nationally, according to gasbuddy.com. The price in Burlington, Vermont, was 56-cents-a-gallon above the national average, according to the price-tracking website. At $2.92 a gallon, gasbuddy.com ranked Burlington as the fourth most expensive place in the country to buy gas. The only cities where gas cost more were Rochester, New York, Anchorage, Alaska, and Honolulu, Hawaii. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nProgressives Sour on Shumlin The political ascendance of Peter Shumlin has come thanks in part to support from the Progressive Party. But the Democratic governor\u2019s decision to shelve single-payer health care last week could shatter that alliance, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK\r\nRepublicans Seek Shumlin Probe House Republican leaders are drafting a letter requesting a federal inspector general\u2019s office review of the Shumlin administration\u2019s use of federal money in its various health care reform efforts. House Minority Leader Don Turner, of Milton, said he is working on the letter that he hopes will induce officials to review expenses related to the state\u2019s work on Vermont Health Connect and a single-payer health care proposal, the Vermont Press Bureau reported. LINK\r\nDairy Program Approximately 65 percent of the state\u2019s dairy farmers have enrolled in a federal insurance program that protects them against dramatic price fluctuations. Friday was the deadline for farmers to enroll in the Dairy Margin Protection Program, which is part of the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill signed into law in February and offers dairy farmers insurance to protect against narrowing profit margins, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/big-ideas", "Big Ideas", "2014-12-23", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Big Ideas\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 23, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBig Ideas\r\nSen. Bernie Sanders \u201chas some big ideas about how to rein in big banks, cut defense spending, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and address income and wealth inequality in the United States,\u201d according to\u00a0WBUR-FM\u00a0in Boston. The senator \u00a0discussed those and other topics during a wide-ranging interview Monday.\u00a0\r\nListen to the interview", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://web.archive.org/web/20150103093104/http://www.king.senate.gov/news/video-and-audio/view/kings-remarks-at-linda-lords-retirement-celebration", "King's Remarks at Linda Lord's Retirement Celebration", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Your Neighborhood \n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe know the value of people-to-people connections, and my state staff is committed to serving the people of Maine by getting out of the office and into your community.  Click here to see where we will be this month.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122214", "News December 22", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 22\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 22, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nPostal Service Reform Passing legislation to reform the U.S. Postal Service remains a goal of Sen. Tom Carper as he steps down as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has led the charge to keep Saturday mail and protect rural facilities and postal jobs, said he worked with Carper and others in the last month to reach a consensus and \u201cwe came very close.\u201d Sanders told USA Today he was impressed with Carper\u2019s efforts \u201cto bridge the very wide gap between right-wing Republicans who want to dismember and eventually privatize the postal service and those of us trying to save and strengthen this vital institution and the jobs it provides.\u201d\r\nState of the Union Sen. Sanders wants to hear from Vermont high school students about what they feel are the major issues facing the country. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays, The Associated Press reported. Since the contest was first held, more than 1,150 Vermont students have participated, according to the article published by the Burlington Free Press, Brattleboro Reformer, Rutland Herald and Times Argus. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nDate Lab Bernie Sanders is the \u201cfavorite politician\u201d of Teresa Spencer, an actress who went on a date to a DuPont Circle restaurant with Steve Bradley, who listed John Lewis as his favorite politician in The Washington Post Sunday magazine blind-date feature. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nObama Plans More Gitmo Transfers President Barack Obama aims to make 2015 a landmark year in his long-stalled effort to close the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, with plans to announce a flurry of detainee transfers in coming weeks, senior administration officials told The Wall Street Journal. LINK\r\nNational\r\nNew York Police Add Precautions Faced with the first targeted killings of New York City police officers in years, police leaders ratcheted up precautions for their vast patrol force on Sunday as officials described the predatory final movements of a gunman bent on killing officers, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nNew Catholic Bishop Auxiliary Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Indianapolis has been named the new Bishop for the statewide Roman Catholic Diocese in Vermont. The 56 year-old Massachusetts native will oversee Vermont\u2019s largest religion \u2014 about 120,000 Catholics spread among about 120 churches. The formal announcement from Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome is expected as early as today, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK\r\nVA Center A veterans outreach center in Bennington is adding a wood-pellet-fueled heating system thanks to a $10,000 gift from 66-year-old Captain Alan W. Gibney, who died in August. Gibney also left the Vermont Veterans Home $100,000, which will go toward building a pavilion.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-veterans-home-on-va-priority-list-for-1-million-grant", "Vermont Veterans Home on VA Priority List for $1 Million Grant", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BURLINGTON, Dec.22 \u2013 U.S. Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today welcomed a Department of Veterans Affairs announcement that the state-run Vermont Veterans\u2019 Home in Bennington is in line for a nearly $1 million federal matching grant.\r\nThe Bennington facility is on the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 priority list for construction grants during the coming year.\r\n\u201cI am committed to working with the state and the VA to ensure the veterans\u2019 home can make these much-needed repairs,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cThe men and women who have served our country in uniform deserve quality care in a safe home.\u201d\r\nThe Bennington kitchen-renovation project is part of the VA\u2019s commitment to providing a safe living environment and medical care for aging and chronically-ill Veterans. The federal share of the project is $994,045.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/an-unsung-heroine", "An Unsung Heroine", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "An Unsung Heroine\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 22, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\u201cGretchen Baily is an unsung heroine,\u201d said Sen. Bernie Sanders. He was describing the Senate office\u2019s casework coordinator whose last day on the job was Monday.\u00a0 Bailey led a team that has helped tens of thousands of Vermonters cut through red tape. Sometimes the federal bureaucracy needs a nudge and \u201cthat\u2019s what we do,\u201d she once said. Earlier this year, she won a prestigious award for exemplary public service.\u00a0 \u201cGretchen strongly believes that government should work for people,\u201d Sanders wrote a letter nominating her for the award. \u201cGretchen has dedicated her life to this mission.\u201d\r\nRead more about Gretchen Bailey\r\nRead the senator\u2019s letter nominating her for an award\r\nNeed help?", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122114", "News December 21", "2014-12-21", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 21\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 21, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\u00a0\r\nTom Harkin Tribute The self-described progressive populist hung up his 40-year career in Congress last week \u2014 but not before urging his Senate colleagues to close the income gap, save the planet and make it easier for people with disabilities to get hired. Sen. Sanders said Harkin \u201cwill go down in history as one of the great senators,\u201d Rekha Basu wrote in The Des Moines Register. LINK\u00a0\r\nSanders\u2019 Essay Contest Returns Sen. Sanders is once again organizing a State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students. Participants are asked to write a 250- to 500-word essay that describes \u201ctheir own view of the state of the union. The finalists\u2019 pieces will be entered in the Congressional Record and the authors will meet with\u00a0Sanders\u00a0for a conversation, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nNational\u00a0\r\nTwo NYC Police Murdered A gunman shot and killed two New York City police officers before taking his own life in a brazen ambush that played out on a quiet Brooklyn street corner Saturday afternoon, New York police said. Plice are investigating social-media postings in which the gunman foreshadowed the killings and referenced Eric Garner and Michael Brown, two unarmed black men who recently died during encounters with white police officers, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nFairPoint Strike\u00a0Two hundred FairPoint Communications workers rallied on Friday in Concord, New Hampshire, and promised to continue a 10-week-old strike that has begun to take a personal and financial toll on the workers and their families. Gov. Maggie Hassan met with FairPoint officials on Tuesday at the Statehouse and urged them to work in good faith with their employees, her spokesman said. The company\u2019s 1,700 workers across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont began striking in October. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nProgressives Slam Shumlin\u2019s \u2018Broken Promises\u2019 \u00a0The Vermont Progressive Party issued a statement criticizing Gov. Peter Shumlin's decision not to move forward with a single-payer health care system. \"While we are outraged by Shumlin's broken promises, we are not terribly surprised, rather than work through these issues or scale back the project, Shumlin decided to scrap it entirely.\" The Progressives also note they've sat out the governor's race in the last three elections in large part because of his promise to lead on single-payer, WCAX-TV reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122014", "News December 20", "2014-12-20", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 20\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 20, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\u00a0\r\nSanders: Don\u2019t Cut Social Security Sen. Bernie Sanders is speaking out against proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare that he said are on the House Republican Budget Committee agenda. At a time when poverty among senior citizens is increasing, Sanders said it would be a moral outrage to cut the programs. He proposed increasing benefits. In January, he will become the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, WVNY-TV reported. VIDEO\r\nPhone Strike FairPoint Communications employees picketed in Bennington on Friday after CEO Paul Sunu called the workers\u2019 demands \u201cunreasonable.\u201d Sen.\u00a0Sanders asked the company to put the interests of its workers and its customers ahead of the interests of \u201cthe multibillion dollar Wall Street hedge funds\u201d that stand to profit from the sale of the\u00a0company, the Bennington Banner reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\u00a0\r\nObama Vows Response to N. Korea Cyberattack President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to respond to a devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures that he blamed on North Korea, and scolded the Hollywood studio for caving in to what he described as a foreign dictator imposing censorship in America. Obama said the attack caused a lot of damage to Sony but that the company should not have let itself be intimidated into halting the public release of \"The Interview,\" a lampoon portraying the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nVermont\r\nJobless Decline Vermont\u2019s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a point in November, the first decrease since April, officials said Friday. The Vermont Department of Labor said the seasonally adjusted statewide rate for November ticked down to 4.3 percent from the revised October rate. The national average remain unchanged in November at 5.8 percent. Vermont\u2019s 4.3 percent jobless rate is tied for the 10th lowest in the country, Vermont Press Bureau reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nFederal Prosecutor Resigns Tristram Coffin, the U.S. Attorney for the district of Vermont, will resign next month to take a job in private practice, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nFairPoint Strike The Vermont Department of Public Service said Friday it has received more than 730 complaints about FairPoint service since workers went on strike on Oct. 17.\u00a0 FairPoint has agreed to take steps to ensure timely repairs for those without phone service while a strike continues in northern New England, VPR reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-bill-signed-into-law-", "King Bill Signed Into Law", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Bill Signed Into Law \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tProvision will benefit charitable causes like legal service assistance for low-income Mainers\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 19, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPORTLAND, ME \u2013 Yesterday, President Barack Obama signed into law a provision sponsored by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that creates insurance coverage parity between certain bank and credit union accounts. The Credit Union Share Insurance Fund Parity Act, legislation that Senator King introduced in and helped usher through the Senate, creates deposit insurance parity for credit unions by directing the National Credit Union Administration to extend share insurance coverage to trust accounts, such as Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) and other similar accounts, opened and managed by credit union members.\r\n\u201cFor years credit unions across Maine struggled under disparate treatment afforded to Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cWith this provision now in law, IOLTA accounts at Maine\u2019s credit unions will be treated equally with those as other financial institutions, generating more revenue from interest that will go directly towards assisting low-income Mainers who are seeking help with legal services. And across the nation, those states that have not authorized credit unions as depositories for attorney IOLTA funds should now be able to do so. I\u2019m glad we were able to secure this common sense fix that will make a big difference in the lives of Mainers who need it most.\u201d\r\n\u201cIn our very first conversation with Senator King, shortly after he was elected, he identified regulatory relief for credit unions and other smaller, financial institutions for as a top priority for him.\u00a0 In subsequent meetings and frequent communications, we and the team at the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) have had with he and his staff, regulatory burden remained a topic of conversation and he was clearly committed to doing all that he could on this issue,\u201d said John Murphy, President and CEO of the Maine Credit Union League. \u201cWe truly appreciate the hard work, articulation and strong support of Senator King and his staff working tirelessly to overcome obstacles and challenges in getting this legislation passed.\u201d\r\nLawyers often handle money that belongs to clients, such as settlement checks, fees advanced for services not yet performed, or money to pay various court fees. Sometimes the amount of money that an attorney handles for a single client is quite large or held for a long period of time. In such cases, lawyers deposit the funds into trust accounts, where the funds can earn interest for the client.\u00a0 It is unethical for attorneys to derive any financial benefit from funds that belong to their clients.\r\nOften, however, the amount of money that a lawyer handles for a single client is quite small or held for only a short period of time, and cannot earn interest for the client in excess of the costs incurred to collect that interest. Lawyers place these deposits into combined, or pooled IOLTAs with other nominal or short-term client funds. Banks in turn forward the interest earned on these accounts to the state IOLTA program, which uses the money to fund a variety of charitable causes \u2013 primarily the provision of civil legal services to people near or at the poverty line, including the working poor, low income veterans and persons with disabilities.\r\nThough IOLTAs receive insurance through the FDIC, so that individual client funds in the account are insured, the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund only covers members\u2019 accounts of the credit union. In the case of an attorney wishing to establish an IOLTA at a credit union, his or her clients must generally also be credit union members or jump through regulatory hoops in order to receive insurance coverage. The provision signed into law yesterday will now require the National Credit Union Administration to provide pass-through share insurance for the deposits or shares of any interest on lawyers trust accounts, which would establish parity in deposit insurance treatment for these accounts and similar accounts insured by the FDIC and make it easier for attorney to use credit unions as their IOLTA depository.\r\nThe bill signed by the President yesterday was one of the pillars of the RELIEVE Act introduced earlier this year by Senators King, Mark Warner (D-Va.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.). Senator King had also introduced the provision as a standalone bill last July.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-pine-tree-legal-assistance-announce-technology-initiative-to-help-maine-veterans-obtain-legal-services-and-advice", "King, Pine Tree Legal Assistance Announce Technology Initiative to Help Maine Veterans Obtain Legal Services and Advice", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King, Pine Tree Legal Assistance Announce Technology Initiative to Help Maine Veterans Obtain Legal Services and Advice\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 19, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPORTLAND, ME \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined officials from Pine Tree Legal Assistance (PTLA) and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to announce a new technology initiative aimed at improving civil legal aid for veterans, particularly underserved female veterans. The initiative, which is led by PTLA and supported by a 36-month grant from LSC, will expand StatesideLegal.org, a national legal assistance website for military members, veterans, and their families. It will also help develop new user-friendly tools tailored specifically for female veterans needing civil legal assistance. \u201cEvery American deserves the benefit of high-quality, affordable legal services, especially those who have served to defend a country founded upon the rule of law,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cThrough this initiative, Pine Tree Legal Assistance will further expand its reach to provide critical legal assistance to veterans, particularly women veterans, in Maine who may otherwise have had a difficult time locating or affording the counsel and advice they need.\u201d PTLA recently won a grant of $138,139 through LSC to fund the initiative. LSC, an independent corporation founded by Congress, is the country\u2019s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. This initiative is one of 38 projects nationwide that will receive funding in 2014. LSC President Jim Sandman and Pine Tree Legal Assistance Executive Director Nan Heald also spoke at today\u2019s event.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-king-congresswoman-pingree-urge-feds-to-buy-more-maine-blueberries", "Senator King, Congresswoman Pingree urge feds to buy more Maine blueberries", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senator King, Congresswoman Pingree urge feds to buy more Maine blueberries\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t2014 harvest was one of the highest on record; federal purchases would help assist with oversupply\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 19, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tSenator Angus King and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree have written to the US Department of Agriculture to urge the federal government to buy 18 million pounds of frozen Maine wild blueberries to use in school lunch and emergency food assistance programs.\r\n\"Not only are frozen wild blueberries a nutritious addition to school meals or emergency food programs, but USDA purchases also stabilize the price for growers who face challenges from domestic oversupply and international competition,\" they wrote. \"Wild blueberries are an inherently fragile product; over 99% of the crop is frozen at harvest. This puts Maine in a position of being highly financially dependent on the strength of the frozen blueberry market.\"\r\nThe 2014 wild blueberry harvest in Maine was reportedly the second highest on record, with crops yielding about 20% more fresh blueberries than in an average year. Over the last few years, production of blueberries in the United States and Canada has increased significantly, but since sales of fresh blueberries has not kept pace, a surplus of frozen blueberries has developed. King and Pingree say that federal purchases of blueberries will address that oversupply as well as providing a popular, nutritious ingredient for school meals and other federal feeding programs.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121914", "News December 19", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 19\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 19, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nPensions Under Fire Retirees covered by financially-troubled pensions could soon see their benefits cut under legislation passed during the lame-duck session of Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday told MSNBC\u2019s Ed Schultz that the pension provision tucked into a massive spending bill was one reason he voted against the measure. Instead of taking money from elderly retirees, Sanders said the government could help shore up the funds. \u201cIf this country could bailout the crooks on Wall Street who destroyed the economy surely the federal government can help working people who are absolutely dependent on these pensions,\u201d Sanders said. VIDEO\r\nCuba Relations\u00a0Sen.\u00a0Sanders told CBS News\u00a0that he favors normalizing relations with Cuba.\u00a0He said lifting a trade embargo \"would benefit the economies of both countries\"\u00a0and cited an Atlantic Council survey that showed 56 percent of Americans favor changing Cuba policy. LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nMilitary Budget Sen. Sanders cast a \u201cno\u201d vote on a Pentagon spending bill last week. Sanders, who is set to take over as the\u00a0ranking member\u00a0of the Senate Budget Committee, is making an argument for cracking down on budgeting abuses at the Pentagon, according to The Nation's John Nichols.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\r\nDrug Prices Sen. Sanders used one of his last hearings as chairman of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee to review how the Department of Veterans Affairs has had to ration an expensive medicine that cures hepatitis C, a liver virus infecting 174,000 veterans,\u00a0The Shreveport (Louisiana) Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nFairPoint Strike Sen. Sanders on Thursday said he's disappointed in FairPoint Communications refusal to negotiate with striking unions in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Sanders accused the company of wanting to slash wages and benefits for workers, WVNY-TV and WFFF-TV reported. The Vermont congressional delegation had urged the phone company to return to the bargaining table, WCAX-TV reported. VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nVermont Sales Tax\u00a0A tax loophole allows many online and catalog retailers to avoid collecting the same state and local sales taxes that \"brick-and-mortar\" stores are required to collect. Sen. Sanders last year voted for a bill designed to help local retailers compete with out-of-state Internet sellers by giving states the authority to require remote retailers to collect state sales and use taxes,\u00a0The Burlington Free Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nHealth Care\u00a0Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is abandoning his long-held goal of creating the nation's first single-payer health care system. Sen. Sanders has not commented on the decision,\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nHappy Holidays Welcome to the vast world of federal agency gift shops with an abundance of stocking stuffers. After Sen. Sanders went Christmas shopping in 2011 and was angered to discover so many government products made in China, there has been a move to sell more American products in agency gift shops, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nObama to Lift Cuba Sanctions Soon President Obama will move as soon as next month to defang the 54-year-old American trade embargo against Cuba, administration officials said Thursday, using broad executive power to defy critics in Congress and lift restrictions on travel, commerce and financial activities. The moves are only the beginning of what White House officials and foreign policy experts describe as a sweeping set of changes that Mr. Obama can make on his own to re-establish commercial and diplomatic ties with Cuba even in the face of angry congressional opposition, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nSecret Service An independent panel on Thursday recommended sweeping changes at the Secret Service, saying the elite protective agency is \u201cstarved for leadership\u201d and calling for an outsider as director, hundreds of new agents and officers, and a higher fence around the White House, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nHealth Care Protest Dozens of supporters of single-payer health care converged on the Statehouse on Thursday to voice their anger at Gov. Peter Shumlin's announcement a day earlier he was scrapping his push for it. The Associated Press said the tone of the demonstration was angry, with people chanting, \"Which side are you on, Shumlin?\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-dont-let-republicans_slash-social-security-medicare", "Sanders: Dont Let Republicans Slash Social Security, Medicare", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders: Don\u2019t Let Republicans Slash Social Security, Medicare\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 19, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 19 \u2013 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who will step up in January to a new role as the Senate Budget Committee\u2019s ranking member,\u00a0 said today that he strongly disagreed with the House Republican Budget Committee agenda calling for cuts to Social Security and Medicare.\r\nSanders was responding to recent statements by U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the incoming House Budget Committee chairman, that he would pursue proposals to cut mandatory spending on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. \u00a0\r\n\u201cAt a time when poverty among seniors is increasing, and millions of elderly Americans lack sufficient income to buy the medicine or food they need, it would be a moral outrage for Congress to cut Social Security.\u00a0 In fact, instead of cutting Social Security benefits, we should be expanding them.\u201d Sanders said. \u00a0\u00a0\r\nSanders has proposed increasing benefits by lifting the cap on how much of a wage earner\u2019s income is subject to the payroll tax that funds Social Security. Under Sanders\u2019 plan, the wealthiest wage earners who make more than $250,000 a year would pay the same 6.2 percent share of their income into the retirement program as everyone else.\u00a0 The current cap for all beneficiaries is $117,000.\r\n\u201cI will also fight the Republican effort to end Medicare as we know it and convert it into a voucher program,\u201d Sanders said. The Ryan budget, which the incoming chairman praised, called for $129 billion in cuts to Medicare as part of $5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-121914", "The Week in Review", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Week in Review\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 19, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Week in Review\r\nPresident Barack Obama on Wednesday announced restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. The move was welcomed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had traveled to Cuba in February and met with an American prisoner who was freed as part of Wednesday\u2019s diplomatic breakthrough.\u00a0 Named by Senate leadership to take over in January as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders on Monday said he will use the position to defend and expand Social Security. \r\nA New Era in U.S. Cuba Relations A trade embargo enacted 54 years ago amid Cold War tensions remains in place, but the White House plans to act soon on its own to re-establish commercial and diplomatic ties with Cuba. Sanders welcomed \u201ca major step forward.\u201d On the same day the diplomatic opening was announced in Washington and Havana, American government contractor Alan Gross was released from a Cuban prison where he had been held for five years. Sanders visited Cuba last February as part of a congressional delegation that met with Gross.\r\nExpand Social Security \u201cAt a time when prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and one-third of all seniors depend on Social Security for a least 90 percent of their income, we should not be cutting Social Security, we should be expanding it,\u201d Sanders said in a Senate floor speech. \u201cDespite what you may hear from some politicians or pundits on TV, Social Security is not going broke. In fact the program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible beneficiary since its inception.\u201d Watch the Senate floor speech\r\nPension Cuts A provision tucked into a massive bill that the Senate approved last weekend will allow deep cuts in pensions for some current retirees. The provision \u2013 tucked into a massive spending bill \u2013 was one reason Sanders voted no. Instead of taking money from retirees, Sanders on Thursday suggested that Congress should consider shoring up the funds. \u201cIf this country could bailout the crooks on Wall Street who destroyed the economy surely the federal government can help working people who are absolutely dependent on these pensions,\u201d he said. Watch MSNCB \r\nState of the Union Sanders on Monday launched his annual State of the Union essay contest to engage Vermont high school students on the major issues facing the country. Now in its fifth year, the essay contest is an opportunity for Vermont students to discuss their priorities for the nation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121814", "News December 18", "2014-12-18", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 18\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 18, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nMajor Step Forward for Cuba Relations\u00a0Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday welcomed news\u00a0that the United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and that Cuba released Alan Gross, an American who Sanders visited in a Havana jail last February, The Christian Science Monitor,\u00a0The Wall Street Journal,\u00a0MarketWatch,\u00a0Politico,\u00a0Burlington Free Press,\u00a0Seven Days, WVNY-TV, WFFF-TV\u00a0and WPTZ-TV reported.\u00a0Sanders lauded the move as \u201ca major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK, LINK, VIDEO\r\nU.S. Agriculture Eyes Cuba Several agriculture groups said they like what they\u2019ve heard so far from the Obama administration about changes that could open limited Cuban markets. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp saw opportunity for farmers. She and Sens. Sanders and Jon Tester met with Cuban officials in February to discuss the possibility of expanding trade with the United States, Congressional Quarterly reported. LINK\r\nBudget Committee Sen. Michael Enzi will be the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee in the next Congress. The Wyoming Republican will get the job over current ranking member Jeff Session. The ranking member of the Democratic caucus on the panel will be Sen. Sanders, Reuters reported. \u201cI look forward to working with Sen. Enzi on the Budget Committee to put together a budget which reflects the needs of the working families of our country, and not just powerful special interests,\u201d Sanders said in Congressional Quarterly. Sanders said his top priority as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee will be resisting cuts to Social Security in the newly Republican-controlled chamber, the Clinton (Iowa) Herald reported on Wednesday. LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nFairPoint Strike\u00a0Vermont\u2019s congressional delegation called this week for FairPoint Communications to negotiate an end to a two-month strike by about 1,700 New England workers after a rash of Internet and phone outages on the network of the state\u2019s dominant carrier. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch sent a letter to FairPoint CEO Paul Sunu saying failure to reach a fair agreement with workers is negatively affecting customers and service,\u00a0WCAX-TV\u00a0reported.\u00a0\u00a0VIDEO\u00a0\r\nTerrorism Insurance \u201cA few Tea Party Republicans in the House and one in the Senate have derailed an incredibly important bipartisan bill \u2014 the reauthorization of Terrorism Risk Insurance \u2014 which has fueled the redevelopment of lower Manhattan in the wake of 9/11 and fostered construction and job growth in New York and cities across the country \u2026 Earlier this year, I negotiated a long-term reauthorization in the Senate that passed with 93 votes. Senators from Ted Cruz to Bernie Sanders supported the bill,\u201d Sen. Charles Schumer wrote in a column published by the New York Daily News. LINK\u00a0\r\nWorld\r\nSyria\u00a0The Obama administration, seeking to cut off the flow of oil to the government of President Bashar al-Assad, on Wednesday imposed penalties on five people and six companies it said were defying American sanctions and helping Syria\u2019s government attack its own citizens,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nWealth Gap Widest in 30 Years\u00a0A report released on Wednesday by the Pew Research Center found that the wealth gap between the country\u2019s top earners and the rest of America had stretched to its widest point in at least three decades,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNew York Bans Fracking\u00a0New York state will ban hydraulic fracturing after a long-awaited report concluded that the oil and gas extraction method poses health risks,\u00a0Reuters\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nVermont\r\nShumlin Won\u2019t Seek Single-Payer Health in 2015\u00a0Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's abandoning his long-held goal of creating the nation's first single-payer health care system,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported. In a Statehouse news conference Wednesday, Shumlin said the cost of creating the system is more than the state can bear.\u00a0LINK\r\nVeterans Home Cuts The Vermont Veterans' Home Board of Trustees has voted to take steps to reduce the number of patient beds it is licensed for, from 171 beds to 130. The home's administrator, Melissa Jackson, told the Bennington Banner that the average number of veterans served daily at the home is 121. The home also has 13 current job openings, which it will not fill at a savings of more than $750,000 a year. Other cost cuts from reducing the number of beds will bring the total savings to about $1 million a year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-deeply-disappointed-in-fairpoint", "Sanders Deeply Disappointed in FairPoint", "2014-12-18", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 18 \u2013 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after FairPoint Communications CEO Paul Sunu snubbed a request from the Vermont congressional delegation for the North Carolina company to negotiate an end to a two-month strike by about 1,700 New England workers:\u00a0\r\n\u201cI am deeply disappointed, but not surprised, with the response from Mr. Sunu.\u00a0 His letter confirms what I have long suspected.\u00a0 FairPoint wants to slash wages and benefits for Vermont workers and it refuses to negotiate in good faith.\u00a0 In essence his letter says FairPoint\u2019s bargaining posture is \u2018take it or leave it, we want it our way, and we\u2019re not going to make any compromises.\u2019\u00a0\r\n\u201cMr. Sunu fails to mention that the unions already have offered more than $200 million in concessions, nor does he describe just how deep FairPoint\u2019s proposed cuts are.\u00a0 I think most Vermonters would be very surprised to know that FairPoint\u2019s opening positon on new employee wages was below Vermont\u2019s minimum wage.\r\n\u201cMr. Sunu also does not seem aware just how bad FairPoint service has become. Frankly, the people of Vermont are becoming sick and tired of poor customer service that is getting worse by the day.\r\n\u201cIt is time for FairPoint to put its customers\u2019 safety and its workers wellbeing ahead of the interests of the multi-billion dollar Wall Street hedge funds that stand to profit from a sale of the company. It is time for FairPoint to negotiate a contract that respects the contributions of its experienced and dedicated workforce.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/retirement-security", "Retirement Security?", "2014-12-18", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Retirement Security?\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 18, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tA little-noticed provision in a massive bill that the Senate approved last weekend will allow deep cuts in pensions for some current retirees. The provision would upend 40 years of federal law protecting the pensions for millions of retired workers who earned benefits over decades of loyal work. Former truck drivers, construction workers and supermarket checkout clerks are examples of the retirees whose pensions could be cut by as much as 50 percent in some cases. \u201cI\u2019ve talked to some of the union leaders on this and they\u2019re outraged,\u201d Sanders said Thursday in an interview with radio host Ed Schultz. \u201cI will do everything I can to help find money so that workers don\u2019t see cuts in their pensions.\u201d\r\nWatch Sanders on The Ed Show\r\nListen to the podcast", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121714", "News December 17", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 17\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 17, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\u00a0\r\nFairPoint Strike Vermont\u2019s congressional delegation called Tuesday for FairPoint Communications to negotiate an end to a two-month strike by about 1,700 New England workers after a rash of Internet and phone outages on the network of the state\u2019s dominant carrier. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch sent a letter to FairPoint CEO Paul Sunu saying failure to reach a fair agreement with workers is affecting customers and the services the company is required to provide, according to an Associated Press report published in Tuesday\u2019s Burlington Free Press, Times-Argus and Rutland Herald. LINK, LINK\r\nSanders: Save Social Security Democrats are elevating Sen. Sanders to a Budget Committee post he plans to use to protect Social Security, WCAX-TV reported. In Iowa weighing a 2016 presidential candidacy, Sanders told reporters after speaking to more than 200 people in Ames that his top priority as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee will be resisting cuts to Social Security in the newly Republican-controlled chamber, The Associated Press reported in the Muscatine Journal and elsewhere. LINK, LINK\r\nTax Breaks for Corporations Approved Before adjourning for the year, the Senate on Tuesday night voted to extend a raft of temporary tax breaks through the rest of 2014. The vote was 76-16 to clear the bill that now goes to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it. The final vote on the $41.6 billion package was very bipartisan. Sen. Ron Wyden, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, voted against the package. Sen. Sanders was among eight senators, according to Congressional Quarterly, who didn\u2019t vote. LINK\r\nHoliday Dinner Sen. Sanders will host a free holiday dinner for seniors on Saturday at the Brattleboro Senior Center, the Brattleboro Reformer noted.\r\nWorld\r\nPakistan Massacre Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan lifted a moratorium on the death penalty Wednesday as the government declared three days of official mourning and grappled with the aftermath of an attack on a school by the Pakistani Taliban that killed 145 people, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nRussian Ruble at Record Low The ruble hit a record low, falling as much as 20 percent against the dollar Tuesday. From St. Petersburg to Siberia, money changers ran out of foreign currency and were raising exchange rates. Moscow residents rushed to buy electronics and other big-ticket items and drained rubles from ATMs to swap them for dollars and euros\u2014signaling a new feeling of vulnerability among Russians and a fresh challenge to their leader, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nSenate Adjourns The least-productive Congress in modern history drew to an abrupt close late Tuesday as the U.S. Senate extended dozens of expired tax breaks but failed to renew a federally backed terrorism insurance program supported by big businesses and major sports leagues. Democrats controlling the Senate also secured agreements from Republicans to confirm at least six dozen of President Obama\u2019s nominees to serve as federal judges, agency bosses and on myriad government boards, a last-minute coup for the White House since most of the picks faced tougher odds next year once Republicans take full control of Capitol Hill, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nMcConnell Sets Keystone Pipeline Vote The new Republican Senate will take up the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline as its first order of business, incoming Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. The Kentucky Republican also said he plans to allow open amendment debate on the pro-Keystone legislation from Sen. John Hoeven. LINK\r\nEmboldened Bankers Ready to Dismantle Dodd-Frank Banks and financial institutions are planning an aggressive push to dismantle parts of the Wall Street reform law when Republicans take control of Congress in January. Fresh off a victory in the government funding debate that liberals decried as a giveaway to Wall Street, advocates for the financial sector aim to pursue additional changes to Dodd-Frank that they say would lighten burdens created by the 2010 law. Among the top items on the wish list: easing new requirements on mortgages, loosening restrictions on financial derivatives and overhauling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Hill reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nVA Misled Congress The Department of Veterans Affairs this year issued false statements to Congress and the media about treatment delays and how many patients died or suffered as a result of wait times at its health clinics. The agency\u2019s inspector general this week released a report saying VA issued \u201cseveral key statements\u201d about its reviews of treatment delays that were \u201cmisleading or incorrect,\u201d The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK, LINK\r\nVermont\u00a0\r\nFEMA Assessing Storm Damage The Federal Emergency Management Agency is visiting Vermont to assess the damage from last week's snow storm that caused more than 130,000 power outages. Vermont must show at least $1 million in eligible costs. Counties also must meet certain thresholds to get federal help, AP reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-cuba-announcements", "Sanders Statement on Cuba Announcements", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 17 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after it was announced that the United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and that Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen being held in Cuba has been released.\r\n\"I applaud the president for beginning discussions to establish full diplomatic relations with Cuba, just like most of the rest of the world. This is a major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba. Normal diplomatic relations would mean not only that Americans have the opportunity to visit Cuba, but businesses in Vermont and elsewhere can sell products there.\r\n\"When I visited Cuba last February I had the opportunity to meet Alan Gross, who was released today after being held for more than five years in prison. I am very glad he was finally released and will soon be reunited with his family.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-applauds-developments-in-us-cuba-relations", "Sanders Applauds Developments in U.S.-Cuba Relations", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Applauds Developments in U.S.-Cuba Relations\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 17, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders applauded the president following news that the United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and that Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen being held in Cuba has been released.\r\n\"This is a major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba. Normal diplomatic relations would mean not only that Americans have the opportunity to visit Cuba, but businesses in Vermont and elsewhere can sell products there,\u201d said Sanders.\u00a0\"When I visited Cuba last year I had the opportunity to meet Alan Gross, who was released today after being held for more than five years in prison. I am very glad he was finally released and will soon be reunited with his family.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/solar-plan-offers-barre-1-million-savings", "Solar plan offers Barre $1 million savings", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Solar plan offers Barre $1 million savings\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By:\u00a0 David Delcore \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTimes Argus\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 17, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBARRE \u2014 City councilors spent a portion of Tuesday night\u2019s snowstorm listening to how a little sunshine could save the city nearly $1 million in electrical costs over the next 20 years. Plans to construct two 500-kilowatt solar energy facilities on separate parcels of privately owned property have reached the point where Novus Energy Development \u2014 a Montpelier company that develops community-scale net-metered solar projects \u2014 needs a nod from the council to proceed. The company didn\u2019t get that Tuesday night, largely because Mayor Thomas Lauzon urged councilors to take a week to consider an offer he believes is too good to pass up but isn\u2019t completely risk-free. It is possible, though not likely, Lauzon said, that utility costs could drop over the next 20 years \u2014 eroding or erasing the projected savings to the city, which would be receiving credit for power generated by the solar projects. \u201cI haven\u2019t found a report yet that would indicate energy prices are actually going to decrease,\u201d Lauzon said, inviting councilors to do their own due diligence before meeting next week to vote on a solar service agreement with Novus Energy. That agreement is the product of a process started when Lauzon contacted Novus Energy principals Louis and Alex Bravakis eight months ago. Both men attended Tuesday\u2019s meeting to update the council on the proposal, which has come into much sharper focus since they made a conceptual presentation in July. For starters, councilors were told Novus Energy has signed leases for two chosen sites \u2014 one near the top of the former Skyline Ski Center off Railroad Street and the other behind the Booth Brothers Dairy processing plant on Allen Street in Barre Town. They were also told the company has lined up an investor interested in financing and owning the solar projects that Novus Energy would design, obtain permits for and see through to commissioning. But for their locations, the two solar facilities would be virtually identical to the one under construction in Barre Town and a second that has been proposed for that same town-owned site on Websterville Road. Novus Energy successfully pitched the first of those solar arrays to Barre Town officials, who were promised credits generated by the project would translate into significant power savings for the town and its elementary school. The town is considering a second solar facility that would yield similar savings for Spaulding High School, and Novus Energy is working with school officials in Barre on a project that would provide the same incentive to Barre City Elementary and Middle School. Councilors, who were told in July they could expect a 10 percent discount on power the city uses \u2014 roughly $700,000 over 20 years \u2014 learned Tuesday the deal is now sweeter, thanks to savings associated with lower panel prices and the economy of scale of constructing two facilities in the same vicinity at one time. The revised discount would be 15 percent. Louis Bravakis told councilors that should translate into an average annual savings of $49,000 over the first 10 years and roughly $47,000 in each of the next 10 years. In addition to the annual power savings, he said, the solar sites would each generate nearly $6,000 in municipal property taxes a year. Though one of the sites is in Barre Town, the city would collect roughly $120,000 in taxes on the Skyline site over the next 20 years, he said. Unlike the town, which owns the Websterville Road property where one solar facility is being constructed and another has been proposed, the city wouldn\u2019t receive an annual lease payment. That money would go to the private landowners. Although Novus Energy identified the former Skyline site early on, Alex Bravakis said the portion of the property initially considered was dropped due to wetlands concerns. Instead, he said, the company settled on a 5-acre area that is \u201chigh and dry\u201d and more remote. \u201cYou won\u2019t see it from anywhere,\u201d he said of the site, which is still close to three-phased power that would allow for a connection to the Green Mountain Power Corp. grid. The Skyline project would involve clearing 5 acres and constructing the solar facility on 3.5 acres of that land. The Allen Street project would be similarly sized, Alex Bravakis said. Lauzon said the question for councilors to consider before making a decision next week was simple. \u201cDo we want to enjoy $1 million in savings over 20 years with a 15 percent discount?\u201d he asked. According to Alex Bravakis, as soon as the council signs off, Novus Energy will start the design and permit processes with an eye toward completing both projects next year. \u201cWe would shoot to have this up and running by next fall,\u201d he said, suggesting that is realistic considering the time frame includes four to six months to obtain a certificate of public good from the state Public Service Board, an interconnection agreement with Green Mountain Power, and local permits that will be needed for the two projects.  \u201cWe\u2019ve got the winter to work with,\u201d he added. The council agreed to defer action on the agreement until Tuesday.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/vermonters-on-the-economy-there-is-not-a-level-playing-field-for-opportunity", "Vermonters on the Economy: 'There Is Not A Level Playing Field.'", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Vermonters on the Economy: 'There Is Not A Level Playing Field.'\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 17, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\r\nVermont\u2019s jobless rate is one of the lowest in the United States. But thousands of Vermonters continue to struggle to find good-paying jobs.\u00a0\r\nMany Vermonters who do have jobs don\u2019t feel they are earning enough money to give their families the lives they were hoping for. Many of Vermont\u2019s college graduates feel they can\u2019t pursue their \u201cdream jobs\u201d because they have tens of thousands of student loans that must be repaid.\u00a0 Meanwhile, other Vermonters shared that they have serious doubts about whether there is a \u201clevel playing field for opportunity.\u201d\r\n\u201cI find the economy is very hard to live in today,\u201d said Rachael Trill, 29, of Colchester, Vermont.\u00a0 \u201cI live in a two-parent household. We have a young daughter and we both work -- and we still can\u2019t manage to get by financially.\u201d\r\nTrill said she would like to go back to school, but doesn\u2019t want to take out thousands of dollars in loans to do it. \u201cI can\u2019t work, and go to school, and take care of her -- and afford to do all that at once,\u201d she said, describing the challenges of affording day care, covering household expenses and finding money to pay for tuition.\r\nThomas Smith, 56, of Burlington, Vermont is concerned many people in Vermont and throughout the United States won\u2019t have enough money saved for retirement, a situation that will cause major difficulties in the decades ahead. Overall, he said, \u201cI think one of my main concerns, in terms of economic policy in this country, is that there is not a level playing field for opportunity.\u201d\r\n\u2018PEOPLE CAN\u2019T LIVE THEIR DREAM\u2019\r\nMarc Brunco, 23, senior at Lyndon State College, said student debt weighs on his personal finances and his future plans.\u00a0 He is not sure exactly how much debt he has \u2013 but estimates it is \u201caround the $40,000 to $45,000 mark.\u201d\r\n\u201cI just try not to think about it,\u201d he said.\r\nSeven in 10 seniors who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in last year had student loan debt, with an average of $28,400 per borrower, according to The Project on Student Debt. In Vermont, the average debt was $27,318.\r\nBrunco says student loan debt may prevent him, and other Vermont college graduates, from picking a job that truly interests them. Instead, he said, many will gravitate towards jobs that help keep the creditors at bay.\u00a0 Graduating seniors, he said, often must \u201cpick a job that can pay the debt rather than pick a job that they want to do. So people can\u2019t live their dream \u2026 because it doesn\u2019t pay well.\u201d\r\n\u201cMore and more often, I\u2019m hearing my friends graduating in all this sort of debt and I hear even more friends, sadly, saying \u2018I\u2019m going to withdraw because it\u2019s too expensive,\u2019\u201d he said.\r\nBrunco has a message for students in Vermont and throughout the United States: \u201cI would just say you have power. Not just through voting, but you have the power to go down there: to Montpelier to Washington. ... You have the power to say to the government, do something about this because you\u2019re supposed to serve our interests. And this is the interest that\u2019s near and dear to our hearts.\u201d\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n12/08/2014", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-supports-passage-of-tax-relief-provisions", "King Supports Passage of Tax Relief Provisions", "2014-12-16", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Supports Passage of Tax Relief Provisions\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 16, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), the Senate this evening passed a package of 55 retroactive tax-relief provisions, referred to as \u201ctax-extenders\u201d, that will allow businesses and taxpayers to claim certain tax deductions for their 2014 tax filing. Senator King released the following statement:\r\n\u201cSeveral of the provisions renewed in this package are crucial to Maine businesses and help them to make the type of investments that drive economic activity and promote economic growth. But frankly, Congress should have acted a year ago when these provisions expired so that business owners and entrepreneurs would have had the certainty to make investments without worrying about whether or not Congress would come through for them at the end of the year. It's only common sense to recognize that retroactive extensions run counter to the purpose of prospective tax incentives. Congress should have also found a way to pay for more than $40 billion price tag for these tax breaks because, while we may enjoy them now, it's future generations who will have to pay for them.\r\n\"The best way for Congress to end what has become an annual embarrassment would be for us to take up comprehensive tax reform. Then we could work together to assess the merits of each provision to ensure we're supporting incentives that are effective and that utilize taxpayer money efficiently, and it would finally get Congress out of the way and provide the certainty to help inspire investors to put their money back into the economy.\u201d\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/maine-congressional-delegation-urges-ferc-to-provide-consumers-with-certainty-on-natural-gas-prices", "Maine Congressional Delegation Urges FERC to Provide Consumers with Certainty on Natural Gas Prices", "2014-12-16", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Maine Congressional Delegation Urges FERC to Provide Consumers with Certainty on Natural Gas Prices\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 16, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In a letter today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to quickly reach a decision regarding the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System 2010 rate proceeding in order to provide certainty to businesses and consumers of natural gas.\r\n\u201cThis case is complex and, because of rehearing requests and compliance filing challenges, natural gas consumers in northern New England continue to pay interstate transportation rates that may be more than 50 percent higher than the rate that the Commission finally approves. While these higher rates may ultimately be refunded, we are concerned that consumers face another winter heating season paying more than they should,\u201d they wrote. \u201c\u2026Further, uncertainty about transportation rates creates a difficult business climate for the pipeline owners, the shippers, and, ultimately, retail customers. The pipeline owners need business certainty and the retail customers should not pay higher than necessary rates. Additionally, our Maine paper mills face too many challenges \u2013 from foreign trade to changing market conditions \u2013 and they should not be asked to continue paying gas pipeline shipping rates that have not been approved by the Commission.\u201d\r\nOn May 12, 2010, Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS), which is a partnership between TransCanada Corporation and Gaz Metro, Inc of Quebec, applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a shipping rate increase. Under current law, PNGTS is allowed to charge its contracting entities the higher requested rate until FERC decides to approve or deny the application. In the meantime, that rate increase is absorbed by the contracting entities and then passed along to consumers who ultimately pay for it through higher energy bills. However, if FERC ultimately denies the application, then those contracting entities and their consumers are entitled to refunds and a return to lower energy bills. However, with the onset of winter, the absence of a timely decision from FERC has created a climate of unpredictability for businesses that rely on the pipeline for their supply of natural gas. A decision by FERC would give businesses the certainty needed to make long-term investments in our state.\r\nThe complete text of the letter is below and can be read HERE:\r\n+++\r\nDecember 16, 2014\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Cheryl LaFleur\r\nFederal Energy Regulatory Commission\r\n888 First Street, NE\r\nWashington, DC 20426\r\n\r\nRE:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Portland Natural Gas Transmission System, RP10-729\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDear Chairman LaFleur:\r\nWe write in regard to requests for rehearing that have been filed in the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) 2010 rate proceeding (Docket No. RP10-729). PNGTS applied for a rate increase on May 12, 2010, and since the fall of 2010 has been charging a firm transportation rate of approximately $1.32 per Dth. This case is complex and, because of rehearing requests and compliance filing challenges, natural gas consumers in northern New England continue to pay interstate transportation rates that may be more than 50 percent higher than the rate that the Commission finally approves.\r\nWhile these higher rates may ultimately be refunded, we are concerned that consumers face another winter heating season paying more than they should. Moreover, given that the previous PNGTS rate case (Docket No. RP08-306) overlapped with the 2010 case, it has been more than six years since shippers on PNGTS have paid transportation rates that have received Commission scrutiny and approval. Unless these higher rates are found by the Commission to be just and reasonable, consumers cannot be asked to pay higher shipping rates during a time of skyrocketing natural gas and electricity prices.\u00a0\r\nFurther, uncertainty about transportation rates creates a difficult business climate for the pipeline owners, the shippers, and, ultimately, retail customers. The pipeline owners need business certainty and the retail customers should not pay higher than necessary rates. Additionally, our Maine paper mills face too many challenges \u2013 from foreign trade to changing market conditions \u2013 and they should not be asked to continue paying gas pipeline shipping rates that have not been approved by the Commission.\u00a0\r\nWe urge the Commission to decide this rate proceeding as expeditiously as possible.\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\n####", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121614", "News December 16", "2014-12-16", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 16\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 16, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSanders: Expand Social Security Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is moving to a new post as top minority member of the Senate Budget Committee, said on Monday that he'll use the position to defend Social Security, which he calls \"the most successful government program in history.\" The Associated Press and WPTZ-TV reported. Sanders said questions about Social Security's long-term solvency are misplaced. The program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out promised benefits consistently since it was founded nearly 80 years ago, he said in a Senate speech featured on C-SPAN. LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nBudget Committee\u00a0Senate Republican leaders on Monday announced their conference's new committee assignments for the next Congress. The only race for committee leadership still undecided is for the Senate Budget Committee. Sen. Sanders was selected late last week to become the Budget panel\u2019s ranking member next year, The Hill\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nDavid Koch is \u2018Fascinating\u2019\u00a0Barbara Walters of ABC News interviewed conservative donor David Koch as one of her \"most fascinating people of 2014.\" She called him a hero to the right and villain to the left and showed a snippet of a speech by Sen. Sanders. \u201cI don't know if the Koch brothers are nice guys or not nice guys. That's not the issue.\u201d Sanders has criticized the billionaire's efforts to buy elections, according to Newsbusters.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\r\nTreasury Nominee\u00a0Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is joining a growing number of Senate Democrats and Sen. Sanders in expressing concerns about the president's nomination of Antonio Weiss, a Wall Street insider and investment banker, for a top position at the Treasury Department,\u00a0Business Insider\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nTar Sands Pipeline\u00a0Environmental activists are hoping low oil prices will push President Barack Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline,\u00a0Politico\u00a0reported. Sen. Sanders, a strong opponent of the pipeline, noted the \"abundance of oil on the marketplace and prices going down.\"\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nFunding Bill A $1.1 trillion funding bill was passed the Senate on Saturday over opposition by every senator considering a White House bid, including Bernie Sanders,\u00a0The Wall Street Journal\u00a0reported. Rolling back a regulation on risky bank investments was a reason for Sanders\u2019 opposition to the bill,\u00a0The Huffington Post noted.\u00a0Sanders proposed legislation to split up banks deemed \"too big to fail,\" PolicyMic\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0LINK, LINK,\u00a0LINK\r\nPre-K in Vermont Vermont got a big boost last year when it received a $37 million federal grant to move its early-childhood education programs forward. Sen. Sanders, a member of the Senate education committee, worked with the U.S. Department of Education, the congressional delegation and the Shumlin administration to secure the funding to operate the pre-K program, according to an Addison County Independent editorial. LINK\r\nWhite House '16, Iowa\u00a0Looking more like a longshot candidate for president, Sen. Sanders will visit Iowa Tuesday and address audiences in Ames and near Des Moines along with meetings of labor and women's rights groups in what is his first trip to the leadoff caucus state since the midterm election, AP reported. \u201cThe Vermont senator, who is an independent, will be at the Progress Iowa holiday party in Altoona. Sanders is the longest serving registered independent in congressional history, WOI-TV in Des Moines reported. VIDEO\r\nWhite House '16, Polls\u00a0A new national poll of potential Democratic nominees shows former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading the field. Sen. Elizabeth Warren drew 6 percent.\u00a0 Sen. Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden tied for third place with 2 percent each,\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0and\u00a0The Philadelphia Inquirer\u00a0reported. LINK,\u00a0LINK\u00a0\r\nWhite House '16, Warren Democracy for America, which in the past has partnered with Sanders, sent out a mailer supporting Warren,\u00a0VICE\u00a0magazine said.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\r\nWhite House '16, O\u2019Malley Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will probably push off an announcement about running for president until spring. He would almost certainly run to Clinton's left but there are likely to be others in the Democratic field, including Sen. Sanders, who will make an appeal to the left wing of the party, according to The Washington Post. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nSydney Attack\u00a0A gunman's siege of a cafe in the heart of Sydney, Australia ended Monday with two hostages and their captor dead,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0An Iranian-born gunman burst in, took 17 workers and customers hostage, and forced some to hold a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith above the shop window's festive inscription of \"Merry Christmas.\"\u00a0LINK\r\nClimate Scientists Express Concerns\u00a0In the wake of an international climate deal, many scientists are concerned that global emissions reductions targets are still too conservative to prevent serious damage to the planet,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nLawmakers Press for Russia Sanctions\u00a0A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday pressed President Barack Obama to approve new santions on Russia and provide weapons and other assistance to Ukraine,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nSenate Confirms Nominee for Surgeon General The Senate on Monday confirmed President Obama\u2019s nominee for surgeon general, ending a long fight over gun control and politics that had left the country without a permanent top doctor for a year and a half. In an early-evening vote, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, an internal medicine physician, was approved, 51- to 43. The confirmation was one of the last acts of business for the Democratic-controlled Senate, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nBudget Battle Is Likely to Heat Up Next Year Congress last week barely managed to approve a funding bill negotiated by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, working under spending guidelines set by each party\u2019s budget gurus. Next year could get even uglier. After four years of a divided Congress, Republicans will take full control of both chambers in January with hopes of passing individual spending bills under an orderly process rarely seen in recent years, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nEconomic Recovery Spreads to the Middle Class For years, even as the economy recovered and the stock market soared, most American workers saw little evidence of better times in their paychecks. But last month\u2019s surprisingly large increase in both average hourly and weekly earnings, along with other encouraging data, has convinced many economists that falling unemployment and increased hiring are finally about to start paying off in terms of wage gains for a broader swath of workers, according to The New York Times. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nUVM Faculty Contract The University of Vermont says its full-time faculty members have approved a new contract thatprovides for performance-based and across-the-board annual increases, as well as salary adjustments when faculty members are promoted, AP reported.\r\nStorm Recovery\u00a0Vermont's largest electric utility says it's restored power to nearly all its customers, but small outages are continuing to occur and heavy snow continues to fall from trees,\u00a0AP\u00a0reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/1216142", "News December 16", "2014-12-16", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 16\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 16, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSanders Vows to Protect Social Security\u00a0Sen. Bernie Sanders was in Iowa Tuesday, telling a mostly Democratic audience he will use his position as the No. 2 on the budget committee to resist cuts to Social Security in the new Republican-controlled Senate,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0After an hour-long talk with 200 Democratic activists, Sanders told reporters his priority on the committee is to draft a budget that \"works for the middle class and working class of this country.\"\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nSplit Up Big Banks\u00a0A controversial spending bill passed by Congress opens the door for future taxpayer bailouts of big banks by loosening regulations intended to clamp down on Wall Street gambling,\u00a0Raw Story reported. Sen. Sanders plans a legislative push to split up major financial institutions. \u201cIf Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cIt is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes, and life savings of the American people.\u201d\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWorld\r\nTaliban Massacre\u00a0Taliban gunmen stormed a military-run school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least 141 people, mostly children, before Pakistani officials declared a military operation to clear the school over,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nRussia\u00a0President\u00a0Barack Obama\u00a0will sign a package of Russia sanctions despite having concerns about the impact of the legislation, the White House said Tuesday according to\u00a0The Wall Street Journal.\u00a0The bill was passed by Congress last week and adds additional sanctions to Russian weapons companies and energy interests. It also provides additional military aid to the Ukrainian government, which has been involved in a low-grade military conflict with its neighbor.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nJeb Bush to Explore Run for President\u00a0President\u00a0Jeb Bush will \u201cactively explore the possibility of running for president\u201d in 2016, according to an announcement the former Florida governor posted to this Facebook page Tuesday morning, the Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nSolar Energy\u00a0Vermont's reliance on solar power is continuing to increase under a state program that allows small power producers to sell electricity to utilities,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0So far this year the number of projects of up to 150 kilowatts permitted can produce a total of 19.8 megawatts of electricity. Through the same period last year the total was 12.5 megawatts. That's an increase of 58 percent.\u00a0LINK\r\nPeace Corps Volunteers\u00a0Vermonters volunteered for the Peace Corps in larger proportion than any other state in 2014, the\u00a0Burlington Free Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/delegation-calls-on-fairpoint-to-negotiate", "Delegation Calls on FairPoint to Negotiate", "2014-12-16", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Delegation Calls on FairPoint to Negotiate\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 16, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 16 \u2013 Vermont\u2019s congressional delegation today sent a letter to FairPoint Communications urging the company to negotiate an end to its ongoing labor strike.\r\n\u201cWe are extremely disappointed that FairPoint management has not come back to the bargaining table with any meaningful concessions to end this strike,\u201d wrote Sens. Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch in their joint letter. \u201cIt is becoming increasingly clear to Vermonters that management is more concerned with the interests of corporate owners of FairPoint than negotiating a reasonable agreement that is fair to your workers and customers.\u201d\r\nSince the strike began, Vermont\u2019s Department of Public Service has received more than 600 complaints from FairPoint\u2019s customers. A recent equipment failure caused a roughly six-hour outage of Vermont\u2019s 9-1-1 system, resulting in nearly 100 missed calls from Vermonters trying to reach emergency dispatchers.\r\n\u201cIt is imperative that FairPoint returns to the bargaining table as soon as possible, negotiates in good faith, and allows its experienced and dedicated employees to get back to work.\u00a0 We are prepared to do whatever we can to help FairPoint\u2019s workers and management reach a compromise in these very difficult times,\u201d wrote the delegation.\r\nIt has been 136 days since FairPoint\u2019s labor contract expired and 61 days since the beginning of the strike. More than 1,700 members of the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are on strike against FairPoint in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.\r\nRead the letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/state-of-the-union2", "State of the Union", "2014-12-16", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "State of the Union\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 16, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders on Monday launched his annual State of the Union essay contest. The contest is designed to engage Vermont\u2019s high school students on the major issues facing the country.\r\nThe U.S. Constitution calls for the president to \u201cgive to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.\u201d\u00a0As the president prepares to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress next month, Sanders\u2019 essay contest asks Vermont\u2019s high school students to write an essay of 250 words to 500 words detailing their own view of the state of the union.\r\nSanders annual essay contest, now in its fifth year, is an opportunity for Vermont students to articulate what issues they would prioritize, if they were president. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays. The finalists will have their essays entered into the Congressional Record and join the senator for a roundtable discussion. The winner will also have the opportunity to invite Sanders to their school to hold a student town meeting.\r\n\u201cWe need our students to be engaged, to help find solutions for the problems that confront us, and to think about the future of our country. That\u2019s what democracy is all about,\u201d said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee.\r\nSince the contest was first held, more than 1,150 students from schools throughout Vermont have written essays about such important issues as the declining middle class, climate change, health care reform, and the rising cost of a college education.\r\nThe deadline for student essay submissions is noon on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015.\u00a0More information can be found on the senator\u2019s webpage at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/stateoftheunion/.\r\nSince Sanders\u2019 essay contest began in 2010, winning essays have been written by students from the Vermont Commons School, Winooski High School, Champlain Valley Union High School, and Mount Anthony Union High School.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121514", "News December 15", "2014-12-15", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 15\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 15, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSenate Passes $1.1 Trillion Bill The Senate late Saturday night passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill by a 56-40 vote that crisscrossed party lines. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the bill lacks need regulation for big banks and ignores the needs of the middle class, WCAX-TV reported on Sunday. VIDEO\r\nSanders Votes No In a rare split within Vermont's congressional delegation, Sen. Patrick Leahy voted in favor of the bill that Sen. Sanders called \"totally crazy.\" Sanders joined 21 Democrats and 18 Republicans in opposing it. Rep. Peter Welch also voted against the bill when it passed the House Thursday night. Sanders and Welch took issue with two policy riders attached to the spending bill that would roll back regulations governing Wall Street banks and dramatically increase the amount of money donors can give to political parties. In a statement released ahead of Saturday's vote, Sanders also faulted the legislation for failing to invest in infrastructure improvements and environmental programs, Seven Days reported. LINK\r\nParty Splits Sen. Sanders and all of the Senate\u2019s other potential presidential candidates from both parties voted against the bill, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Radio News nd Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal reported on Monday. \u201cThere was commonality among 2016 candidates. They didn't like this bill. Isn't that representative of the Democrats also having a problem with their... Warren wing?\u201d Candy Crowley asked Sen. Chuck Schumer on CNN. \u201cI think that the differences between -- among Democrats are small compared to the huge chasm of Republicans,\u201d Schumer said. LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nAn American Agenda \u201cWe need to put the unemployed back to work, to raise wages and make certain that all Americans have the health care and education they need for healthy and productive lives,\u201d Sen. Sanders wrote in a column published Monday in the Des Moines Register. LINK\r\nBernie\u2019s Bigger Platform Sen. Sanders\u00a0has long voiced frustration over income inequality and tax cuts for the wealthy.\u00a0Next Congress, he\u2019ll have a bigger platform for airing those criticisms.\u00a0The Senate Democratic Steering Committee on Friday tapped\u00a0Sanders, a Vermont independent, to become the top-ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee, the Burlington Free Press reported in the cover story of Monday\u2019s newspaper. Sanders\u2019 elevation to the ranking position on the Budget Committee also was noted in the Rutland Herald and Times Argus. LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nSenate Progressives \u201cThe power of (Elizabeth) Warren and likeminded senators seems only to be growing. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made her a member of leadership. In the next Senate, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee will be liberal leader Sen. Sherrod Brown. The top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee will be Bernie Sanders,\u201d The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nSydney Cafe Siege An armed gunman is holding some 30 hostages in a cafe in central Sydney. Five captives fled from the caf\u00e9 where two people were seen holding up a flag containing an Islamic declaration of faith. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the incident was politically motivated but he avoided pointing blame at any group, CBS News reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nIn Final Spending Bill, Salty Food and Belching Cows Are Winners\u00a0Health insurance companies preserved their tax breaks. Farmers and ranchers were spared having to report on pollution from manure. Tourist destinations like Las Vegas benefited from a travel promotion program. Also buried in the giant spending bill that cleared the Senate on Saturday and is headed to President Obama for his signature were provisions that prohibit the federal government from requiring less salt in school lunches and allow schools to obtain exemptions from whole-grain requirements for pasta and tortillas, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nProtest Leaders Vow to Keep Pressing for Change Organizers and participants in nationwide weekend protests of police treatment of minorities say the movement is evolving to include more lobbying for legislative and political change. Demonstrations drew thousands, and at times tens of thousands, of participants in New York, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, the San Francisco Bay Area and San Antonio, among other cities, on Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nAshe: Slow Down on Single Payer Gov. Peter Shumlin will unveil his single-payer financing proposal later this month, but a powerful state senator says the Legislature might want to spend less time this year talking about how Vermont pays for health insurance, and focus instead on making sure everyone is getting it. Few people in the Legislature will have more influence over the health care debate in than Sen. Tim Ashe. The Chittenden County Democrat not only chairs the committee that handles tax matters for the Senate, he\u2019s also the Senate President\u2019s most trusted advisor on health care reform matters, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-fifth-annual-state-of-the-union-essay-contest", "Sanders Announces Fifth Annual State of the Union Essay Contest", "2014-12-15", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Announces Fifth Annual State of the Union Essay Contest\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 15, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 15 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has launched his annual State of the Union essay contest. The contest is designed to engage Vermont\u2019s high school students on the major issues facing the country.\r\nThe U.S. Constitution calls for the president to \u201cgive to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.\u201d As the president prepares to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress next month, Sanders\u2019 essay contest asks Vermont\u2019s high school students to write an essay of 250 words to 500 words detailing their own view of the state of the union.\r\nSanders annual essay contest, now in its fifth year, is an opportunity for Vermont students to articulate what issues they would prioritize, if they were president. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays. The finalists will have their essays entered into the Congressional Record and join the senator for a roundtable discussion. The winner will also have the opportunity to invite Sanders to their school to hold a student town meeting.\r\n\u201cWe need our students to be engaged, to help find solutions for the problems that confront us, and to think about the future of our country. That\u2019s what democracy is all about,\u201d said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee.\r\nSince the contest was first held, more than 1,150 students from schools throughout Vermont have written essays about such important issues as the declining middle class, climate change, health care reform, and the rising cost of a college education.\r\nThe deadline for student essay submissions is noon on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. More information can be found on the senator\u2019s webpage at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/stateoftheunion/.\r\nSince Sanders\u2019 essay contest began in 2010, winning essays have been written by students from the Vermont Commons School, Winooski High School, Champlain Valley Union High School, and Mount Anthony Union High School.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-to-defend-social-security-on-budget-committee", "Sanders to Defend Social Security on Budget Committee", "2014-12-15", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders to Defend Social Security on Budget Committee\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 15, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 15 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), slated to take over as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced today that he will use the position to defend and expand Social Security, \u201cthe most successful government program in history.\u201d\r\n\u201cAt a time when prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and one-third of all seniors depend on Social Security for a least 90 percent of their income, we should not be cutting Social Security, we should be expanding it,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cDespite what you may hear from some politicians or pundits on TV, Social Security is not going broke. In fact the program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible beneficiary since its inception.\u201d\r\nSpeaking on the Senate floor, Sanders said one of the major threats to Social Security is a proposal promoted by Republican budget negotiators to change how the consumer price index is calculate in a way designed to cut annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits. Under the so-called chained CPI, the average senior who retires at age 65 would see their Social Security benefits cut by about $658 a year when they reach 75 and by about $1,100 a year once they turn 85. At the beginning of 2014, the average Social Security benefit for a retired worker was $1,193.92 a month.\r\nThe change in the formula for calculating inflation also would also substantially cut benefits for nearly 4 million veterans. The largest cuts would impact young, permanently disabled veterans who were seriously wounded in combat. It would also impact more than 350,000 survivors who receive service-connected death benefits. Veterans who started receiving VA disability benefits at age 30 would have their benefits reduced by $1,425 at age 45, $2,341 at age 55 and $3,231 at age 65.\r\nSanders has introduced legislation that would lift the cap on contributions to Social Security in order to secure the program for future generations. \u201cRight now a billionaire pays the same amount into Social Security as someone who makes $117,000 a year,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cIf we lifted this cap and applied the Social Security payroll tax to income above $250,000 we could expand Social Security. That is exactly what we have got to do. And that is exactly what the American people want us to do.\u201d\r\nSanders is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs and the founder of the Senate\u2019s Defend Social Security Caucus.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/expand-social-security", "Expand Social Security", "2014-12-15", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Expand Social Security\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 15, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders, slated to take over as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced Monday that he will use the position to defend and expand Social Security, \u201cthe most successful government program in history.\u201d\r\n\u201cAt a time when prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and one-third of all seniors depend on Social Security for a least 90 percent of their income, we should not be cutting Social Security, we should be expanding it,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cDespite what you may hear from some politicians or pundits on TV, Social Security is not going broke. In fact the program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible beneficiary since its inception.\u201d\r\nWatch the Senate floor speech\r\nSpeaking on the Senate floor, Sanders said one of the major threats to Social Security is a proposal promoted by Republican budget negotiators to change how the consumer price index is calculate in a way designed to cut annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits. Under the so-called chained CPI, the average senior who retires at age 65 would see their Social Security benefits cut by about $658 a year when they reach 75 and by about $1,100 a year once they turn 85. At the beginning of 2014, the average Social Security benefit for a retired worker was $1,193.92 a month.\r\nThe change in the formula for calculating inflation also would also substantially cut benefits for nearly 4 million veterans. The largest cuts would impact young, permanently disabled veterans who were seriously wounded in combat. It would also impact more than 350,000 survivors who receive service-connected death benefits. Veterans who started receiving VA disability benefits at age 30 would have their benefits reduced by $1,425 at age 45, $2,341 at age 55 and $3,231 at age 65.\r\nSanders has introduced legislation that would lift the cap on contributions to Social Security in order to secure the program for future generations. \u201cRight now a billionaire pays the same amount into Social Security as someone who makes $117,000 a year,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cIf we lifted this cap and applied the Social Security payroll tax to income above $250,000 we could expand Social Security. That is exactly what we have got to do. And that is exactly what the American people want us to do.\u201d\r\nSanders is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs and the founder of the Senate\u2019s Defend Social Security Caucus.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/senate-proclamation-rebecca-haslam", "Senate Proclamation - Rebecca Haslam", "2014-12-15", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Proclamation - Rebecca Haslam\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 15, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tM. President, I rise today to bring to your attention a remarkable Vermonter, Rebecca Haslam, who is recognized as Vermont\u2019s 2015 Teacher of the Year.\r\nThe honor is a testament to Rebecca\u2019s hard work and dedication to improved learning and education. Rebecca\u2019s leadership in education has helped foster intellectual and personal growth in countless students. She has earned the respect of the community through her commitment, dedication, and passion to her classroom and her innovative approach to learning.\r\nHer dedication to her students is unwavering, \u201cThey have such a love of learning and they are joyful when they come to school,\u201d she explains. Moreover, Rebecca provides a comfortable environment for students to learn, fostering social, academic, and emotional development for her students.\r\nAs an educator, Rebecca sets high expectations and routines in the classroom to ensure the success of all her students. She is diligent in providing academic rigor and a caring environment. Her academic expectations inspire students of all backgrounds and learning abilities.\r\nIn our state\u2019s biggest city, Burlington, she tackles difficult issues many students have faced. Rebecca pulls on her own childhood experiences to better address the stereotypes and biases she noticed as a child. As a student, she recalls her own classmates were quick to point out she was different, \u201cIt was like here\u2019s the norm, and here\u2019s you,\u201d Rebecca shared with a local reporter. As a child, Rebecca was never empowered with the language or the space to talk about her experience as a minority, and she does not want the same for the youth of today.\r\nTo better address race and culture in the classroom, Rebecca is also the Burlington School District social studies and equity coach. In this role she creates curriculum, teaches side by side with colleagues, and works to promote an inclusive classroom environment in all six elementary schools. Additionally, Rebecca is a participant of the district Equity Committee. She works to promote equity and cultural competence through Burlington\u2019s school system trainings ten times a year.\u00a0 The teachers focus on reducing stereotyping and bias with curricular innovations and with conversation. \u201cThe goal of it is never, ever to shame and blame,\u201d she said. \u201cThe goal is really to build our capacity to be anti-racist educators, all of us.\u201d\r\nRebecca is a role model for all Vermonters. She uses her past experiences, present understandings, and future goals as motivation for her teaching. She is teaching our students, educators, and community how to be socially responsible and respectful. The work that Rebecca does to create an atmosphere conducive to learning is commendable. Vermonters are truly fortunate to have such a praiseworthy educator for their children.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/is-it-bad-enough-yet", "Is It Bad Enough Yet?", "2014-12-14", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Is It Bad Enough Yet?\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By:\u00a0 Mark Bittman \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 14, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe police killing unarmed civilians. Horrifying income inequality. Rotting infrastructure and an unsafe \u201csafety net.\u201d An inability to respond to climate, public health and environmental threats. A food system that causes disease. An occasionally dysfunctional and even cruel government. A sizable segment of the population excluded from work and subject to near-random incarceration.\r\nYou get it: This is the United States, which, with the incoming Congress, might actually get worse.\r\nThis in part explains why we\u2019re seeing spontaneous protests nationwide, protests that, in their scale, racial diversity, anger and largely nonviolent nature, are unusual if not unique. I was in four cities recently \u2014 New York, Washington, Berkeley and Oakland \u2014 and there were actions every night in each of them. Meanwhile, workerswalked off the job\u00a0in 190 cities on Dec. 4.\r\nThe root of the anger is inequality, about which statistics are mind-boggling: From 2009 to 2012 (that\u2019s the most recent data), some 95 percent of new income has gone to the top 1 percent; the Walton family (owners of Walmart) have\u00a0as much wealth\u00a0as the bottom 42 percent of the country\u2019s people combined; and \u201cincome mobility\u201d now describes\u00a0how the rich get richer while the poor ... actually get poorer.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121414", "News December 14", "2014-12-14", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 14\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 14, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSenate Passes $1.1 Trillion Bill The Senate voted 56-40 on Saturday night to approve a $1.1 trillion deal and send the legislation to President Barack Obama. Sen. Bernie Sanders and nearly every other senator mentioned as a future presidential candidate voted no, Politico reported. In stark contrast to House Democrats who nearly derailed the budget, just five Senate Democrats and Sanders voted against the procedural motion that ended debate on the bill, The Guardian and CQ/Roll Call reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK\u00a0\r\nWall Street Wins, Taxpayers Lose The $1.1 trillion bill rolled back regulations on Wall Street. Federally insured funds can now be used again by banks in high-risk investments. \u201cWhen they make a whole lot of money they get richer, but when they lose money because of the repeal of this provision, the taxpayers of this country have to bail them out,\u201d Sen. Sanders said. \u201cDoes anybody \u2013 anybody \u2013 think that that makes any sense at all?\u201d Sanders asked in an NBC News report on KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa, and other network affiliates nationwide. LINK, VIDEO\r\nSanders: Break Up Big Banks Sen. Sanders plans to introduce legislation to break up Wall Street banks and prevent them from using a provision in the spending bill to engage in the kind of investments that led to the 2008 financial crisis. He used Saturday\u2019s Senate session to outline a proposal that he believes would counter a provisions meant to gut a 2010 law. \u201cIf Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative. It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes and life savings of the American people,\u201d Sanders said in The Washington Times. LINK\r\nThe Billionaire Class From 2009 to 2012 (that's the most recent data), some 95 percent of new income has gone to the top 1 percent \u2026 while the poor actually get poorer. \u201cIncreasingly, it seems, there's an appetite and even unity to take on the billionaire class [but] \u2026 that pressure must be maintained no matter who is in office. Even if Bernie Sanders were to become president, the need for pressure would continue,\u201d Mark Bittman wrote in a New York Times column. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nClimate Deal Would Commit Every Nation to Limiting Emissions Negotiators from around the globe reached a climate change agreement early Sunday that would, for the first time in history, commit every nation to reducing its rate of greenhouse gas emissions \u2014 yet would still fall far short of what is needed to stave off the dangerous and costly early impact of global warming. The agreement was reached by delegates from 196 countries gathered in Lima, Peru. It is a framework for a climate change accord to be signed by world leaders in Paris next year,The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nThe American Middle Class is Lost The stock market is soaring, the unemployment rate finally is retreating after the Great Recession and the economy added 321,000 jobs last month. But all that growth has done nothing to boost pay for the typical American worker. Average wages haven\u2019t risen over the last year, after adjusting for inflation. Real household median income is still lower than it was when the recession ended. Make no mistake: The American middle class is in trouble. That trouble started decades ago, well before the 2008 financial crisis. Median household income peaked at least 15 years ago in 81 percent of U.S. counties. That means that when incomes are adjusted for inflation, most middle class households are actually earning less money than they did years ago. LINK\r\nJustice for All March In a strong display of unity since the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, relatives of African Americans killed by officers in incidents dating back more than a decade shared a stage Saturday to call on Congress to make changes in the criminal justice system. Speaking in the cold afternoon air, mothers and fathers of those who were killed said their children were let down by prosecutors and grand juries that did not indict police officers. The Washington march was one of many that took place across the nation Saturday, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nMiddle Class Collapse The inflation-adjusted median household income in Chittenden County peaked in 1989 at $69,280, according to The Washington Post and U.S. Census data. The inflation-adjusted median household income in Essex County peaked in 1969 at $43,151. In Caledonia County, the peak was in 1999 at $48,307. Rutland County peaked in 1989 at $53,033. LINK\r\nPower Outage The state's largest utility says it could be Monday before all Vermont customers have power restored. About 6,000 customers were still without power in Vermont on Saturday evening, three days after a brutal storm pounded the state with heavy, wet snow. Gov. Peter Shumlin surveyed power line and tree damage by air as line crews continued to restore service to those still in the dark from outages that, at their peak, affected some 100,000 customers, AP reported.\u00a0\r\nEfficiency Vermont The statewide energy-saving program Efficiency Vermont is getting a new director. Liz Gamache was a manager for the Vermont Electric Cooperative. She also is the mayor of St. Albans. Gamache replaces Jim Merriam, who is staying with the program's parent organization, the Vermont Energy Investment Corp., as operations director overseeing work in Vermont, Washington, D.C., and Ohio.\r\nVermont Yankee Gov. Peter Shumlin on Friday largely rejected recommendations from his economic advisory panel on how to award the first $2 million round of Entergy Nuclear economic development funds.\u00a0Shumlin in Brattleboro announced grants and loans to only five applicants totaling $814,000. He said the state had to \u201creboot\u201d the application process to more accurately reflect his goals for \u201ctransformational\u201d new jobs in the Windham County economy, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/senate-passes-bill-that-rolls-back-bank-regulation", "Senate Passes Bill that Rolls Back Bank Regulation", "2014-12-14", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Passes Bill that Rolls Back Bank Regulation\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 14, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Senate on Saturday night voted 56-40 for a controversial $1.1 trillion bill that rolls back regulations on Wall Street, lets companies reduce pensions for current retirees, cuts funding for the EPA and dramatically increases how much rich people may donate to politicians. Sen. Bernie Sanders voted no. Read why In stark contrast to House Democrats who nearly derailed the budget, just five Senate Democrats and Sanders voted against the motion that ended debate on the bill.\r\nUnder the measure headed to the White House for President Barack Obama\u2019s signature, federally insured funds may be used again by banks in high-risk investments. That risky practice was outlawed by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law. \u201cWhen they make a whole lot of money they get richer, but when they lose money because of the repeal of this provision, the taxpayers of this country have to bail them out,\u201d Sen. Sanders said. \u201cDoes anybody \u2013 anybody \u2013 think that that makes any sense at all?\u201d Sanders asked in a Senate floor speech. Watch \u201cTotally crazy,\u201d Sanders said of the deal in a Friday night interview with Rachel Maddow. Watch\r\nSanders announced on Saturday that he plans to introduce legislation to break up Wall Street banks and prevent them from using a provision in the spending bill to engage in the kind of investments that led to the 2008 financial crisis. \u201cIf Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative. It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes and life savings of the American people,\u201d Sanders said. Read more", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-supports-government-funding-bill", "King Supports Government Funding Bill", "2014-12-13", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Supports Government Funding Bill\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tSaturday, December 13, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, the U.S. Senate passed the 2015 Omnibus Federal Appropriations bill, which funds the government through September 30, 2015 and includes funding for several priorities benefiting Maine.\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that there isn\u2019t a perfect bill, but there are some important provisions in this one \u2013 particularly for Maine,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cNot only does this bill fully fund the Department of Defense, including shipbuilding priorities at Bath Iron Works, but it also invests in transportation infrastructure projects, early childhood education programs, housing assistance for low-income families and homeless veterans, and renewable and clean energy initiatives, among many other important priorities that will make a big difference in the lives of Mainers. And importantly, this bill is true appropriations legislation, not the continuing resolutions that have created economic instability and worried investors in the past. This bill will fund the government through next year, instilling the type of certainty that our economy needs.\u201d\r\nThe appropriations bill funds more than $3 billion for the U.S. Navy destroyer programs, including $2.66 billion for two Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works, and $419 million for construction of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers. It includes a provision authored by Senator Susan Collins requiring that all fresh fruits and vegetables \u2013 including fresh white potatoes \u2013 be included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and it also fully funds the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to aid workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages decrease as a result of increased imports.\r\nThe bill also includes funding to repair America\u2019s deteriorating infrastructure network, including $500 million for DOT TIGER grants to state and local governments; increases investments in Pell Grant funding and child care subsidies to working parents; upholds a commitment to early childhood education programs, like Head Start; maintains robust funding for housing assistance for low-incomes families and veterans; and continues investment in weatherization and energy-efficiency programs. For a comprehensive summary of the FY15 Omnibus Appropriations bill, click HERE.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121314", "News December 13", "2014-12-13", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 13\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 13, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSenate Sets Saturday Vote on Spending Bill\u00a0The Senate moved closer to passing a $1.1 trillion bill to fund almost all of the government through most of 2015, but a late-night maneuver by Sen. Ted Cruz delayed a final vote on the spending deal and forced the Senate to meet on Saturday. Sen. Bernie Sanders opposes the bill that he said \u201ccomes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of the American people,\"\u00a0WCAX-TV, Politico, National Journal,\u00a0The Nation\u00a0and WAMC-FM\u00a0reported. LINK, LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK, VIDEO\r\nWall Street Banks Wall Street lobbyists tucked a provision in the bill to put taxpayers on the hook if risky investments boomerang, Sen. Sanders warned on KTVM-TV in Butte, Montana, and other NBC News affiliates. \u201cIf they win they make a lot of money. If they lose the taxpayers bail them out. That is totally crazy,\u201d Sanders explained to Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. \u201cAnyone who thinks that Congress regulates Wall Street has got it backwards,\u201d Sanders said in reports by The Associated Press and USA Today. Sanders\u2019 effort to delete the provision was unlikely to succeed, The New York Post reported. Sanders and another critic of the bill, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, declined to say whether they would filibuster, The Washington Post reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nSenate Passes Bloated Pentagon Budget\u00a0The Senate gave final approval to a $560 billion defense spending bill on Friday. \u201cI\u00a0just don't think we can\u00a0spend all that much on defense\u00a0and ignore the needs of our\u00a0kids, ignore the needs of our\u00a0elderly, ignore the needs of\u00a0our working families, of our\u00a0infrastructure, of education.\u00a0We've got to get our\u00a0priorities right,\" said Sen. Sanders on WCAX-TV. He voted against the bill.\u00a0LINK,\u00a0VIDEO\u00a0\u00a0\r\nSanders Named Ranking Member on Budget Panel\u00a0Senate Democrats appointed independent Sen. Sanders to lead their caucus on the chamber's budget committee next year, the Burlington Free Press, The Wall Street Journal,\u00a0Bloomberg,The Hill\u00a0and\u00a0PJ Media\u00a0reported. His appointment is \u201craising eyebrows inside the beltway,\u201d International Business Times reported. \u201cAt a time when the middle class is disappearing and the gap between the rich and everybody else is growing wider, we need a budget which reflects the needs of working families and not Wall Street and the top 1 percent,\" Sanders said. \u00a0LINK, LINK,\u00a0LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK,\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nVeterans Suicides\u00a0Veterans groups are blasting a move by a Republican senator intended to scuttle a veterans' suicide prevention bill. Sen. Sanders said the Senate should pass the bill, National Journal and Military.com\u00a0reported.\u00a0\"In my view the goal is to make sure that every veteran in this country who is having problems is able to get access to the medical help they need and get that mental health care immediately without bureaucratic or financial impediments,\" Sanders said.\u00a0LINK, LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nAgenda for America Sen. Sanders has detailed a 12-point economic agenda to rebuild America\u2019s middle class by creating jobs and raising wages. \u201cThe burning issue of our time is the reality that for the last 40 years the middle class has been disappearing and we have more people living in poverty than at almost any time in history,\u201d Sanders said in an interview for \u201cThe Independents\u201d on Fox Business News. VIDEO\r\nEat More Kale\u00a0A small Vermont company beat fast-food giant Chik-fil-A in a trademark battle. The fast-food corporation filed a complaint trying to stop Vermont's \"Eat More Kale\" t-shirt maker from using the phrase.\u00a0\u201cThe American people are getting tired of the greed and recklessness of large corporations which use their size and power to push individuals and small businesses around,\u201d Sen. Sanders said in The Guardian. LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nA Great Intellect In speech after speech on Friday,. senators praised the 36-year career of Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the\u00a0Detroit Free Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0Sen. Sanders called him \u201cperhaps the greatest intellect\u201d in the Senate.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nBest Books \u201cWe face two immense crises \u2013 the decline of the American middle class and global warming,\u201d Sen. Sanders wrote in The Wall Street Journal. Sanders counted Bob Herbert\u2019s \"Losing Our Way\" and Bill McKibben\u2019s \"Oil and Honey\" among his favorite books of 2014. LINK\r\nHoliday Dinners Sanders had planned to make it to Bennington Friday to host a Christmas dinner at the Unitarian Universalist\u00a0Church on School Street, but the budget battle in congress kept him in Washington,., according to the Bennington Banner. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nIran\u00a0The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned U.S. businesses to be on the alert for a sophisticated Iranian hacking operation whose targets include defense contractors, energy firms and educational institutions, Reuters\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nInsurers Avoid Up to $100 Billion in Taxes\u00a0Life insurers are taking advantage of loopholes that allow them to pull cash away from required reserves to pay for bonuses,\u00a0shareholder dividends, acquisitions and other projects, and because of complicated accounting maneuvers, the money escapes federal taxation,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0said. The companies have used the maneuvers to save as much as $100 billion in federal taxes, much of it in the last several years.\u00a0LINK\r\nDemocratic Lawyer Crafted Cash Grab A powerful Democratic lawyer helped craft a provision that was slipped into a year-end spending bill allowing political parties to raise huge new pools of cash \u2014 including some for legal fees that are likely going to be collected by his own firm. Marc Elias, a partner at the Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie, was called in to advise outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid\u2019s aides on the campaign finance proposal, Politico reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nNo Jail for Reporter Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has decided he will not force a New York Times reporter to reveal his confidential source in a high-profile leak investigation that has pitted the Obama administration against the press for years, according to a person familiar with the decision. A federal judge had set a Tuesday deadline for the Justice Department to say whether it intended to compel Times reporter James Risen to identify his source in the trial of Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA official who was accused of leaking classified information. LINK\r\nWhite House \u201916, Republicans Jeb Bush and his emissaries are sending increasingly strong signals that the former Florida governor is gearing up for a 2016 presidential campaign, with associates saying he could announce his intentions within a month. Bush recently e-mailed major Republican donors asking them to, as several of them put it, \u201ckeep your powder dry,\u201d The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nShumlin: Resolve FairPoint Strikes\u00a0Gov. Peter Shumlin is calling for a quick resolution of the strike by unionized workers for FairPoint Communications, saying \"enough is enough\" on a recent spate of phone and Internet outages on the company's system,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0Shumlin on Friday wrote to FairPoint CEO Paul Sunu, urging the company to return to the bargaining table with the Communication Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers units that represent about 1,700 FairPoint workers in northern New England.\u00a0LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/wall-street-runs-washington-sanders-says-in-proposing-to-break-up-big-banks-", "Wall Street Runs Washington, Sanders Says in Proposing to Break Up Big Banks", "2014-12-13", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he will introduce legislation to break up Wall Street megabanks that are using a bill before the Senate today to put taxpayers on the hook for the banks\u2019 risky investments.\r\nSanders outlined the proposal as the Senate, in a rare Saturday session, prepared to take up a House-passed bill that would roll back a law limiting risky investments like those that caused the financial crisis of 2008 and the recession that followed.\r\n\u201cOver the last several days, it has become abundantly clear that Congress does not regulate Wall Street but Wall Street regulates Congress.\u00a0 If Wall Street lobbyists can literally write a provision into law that will allow too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets that nearly destroyed our economy just a few years ago, it should be obvious to all that their incredible economic and political power is a huge danger to our economy and our way of life,\u201d Sanders said.\r\nLobbyists for Citigroup drafted the measure and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon reportedly called congressmen to lobby for the provision that would gut a key provision of Dodd-Frank, the Wall Street reform law passed in 2010.\r\n\u201cEnough is enough,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cToday, almost all of the too-big-to-fail banks are bigger and even more powerful than they were before we bailed them out. The six largest financial institutions have over $9.8 trillion in assets \u2014 the equivalent of more than 60 percent of GDP.\u00a0 They issue over half of the mortgages and more than two-thirds of the credit cards in America.\r\n\u201cIf Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative.\u00a0 It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes, and life savings of the American people.\r\n\u201cAt the beginning of the new Congress, I will be introducing legislation that will break these behemoth banks up once and for all. If a financial institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist.\u00a0 I look forward to working with both progressive and conservative Senators who have the courage to stand up to Wall Street and protect the working families of this country,\u201d Sanders said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/break-up-big-banks-sanders-says-as-senate-debates-bill-to-gut-wall-street-reform", "Break Up Big Banks, Sanders Says as Senate Debates Bill to Gut Wall Street Reform", "2014-12-13", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Break Up Big Banks, Sanders Says as Senate Debates Bill to Gut Wall Street Reform\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 13, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAs the Senate met in a rare Saturday session, Sen. Bernie Sanders said he will introduce legislation to break up Wall Street megabanks that are using a bill before the Senate this weekend to put taxpayers on the hook for the banks\u2019 risky investments. The House-passed bill would roll back a law limiting risky investments like those that caused the financial crisis of 2008 and the recession that followed.\r\n\u201cOver the last several days, it has become abundantly clear that Congress does not regulate Wall Street but Wall Street regulates Congress.\u00a0 If Wall Street lobbyists can literally write a provision into law that will allow too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets that nearly destroyed our economy just a few years ago, it should be obvious to all that their incredible economic and political power is a huge danger to our economy and our way of life,\u201d Sanders said.\r\nLobbyists for Citigroup drafted the measure and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon reportedly called congressmen to lobby for the provision that would gut a key provision of Dodd-Frank, the Wall Street reform law passed in 2010.\r\n\u201cEnough is enough,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cToday, almost all of the too-big-to-fail banks are bigger and even more powerful than they were before we bailed them out. The six largest financial institutions have over $9.8 trillion in assets \u2014 the equivalent of more than 60 percent of GDP.\u00a0 They issue over half of the mortgages and more than two-thirds of the credit cards in America\r\n\u201cIf Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative.\u00a0 It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes, and life savings of the American people.\r\n\u201cAt the beginning of the new Congress, I will be introducing legislation that will break these behemoth banks up once and for all. If a financial institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist.\u00a0 I look forward to working with both progressive and conservative Senators who have the courage to stand up to Wall Street and protect the working families of this country,\u201d Sanders said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-collins-hail-passage-of-national-defense-authorization-act", "King, Collins Hail Passage of National Defense Authorization Act", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King, Collins Hail Passage of National Defense Authorization Act\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 With the strong support of U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, the Senate today passed the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes more than $3 billion for the U.S. Navy destroyer programs, including $2.66 billion for two Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works, and $419 million for construction of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers, among many other provisions important to Maine.\r\nAs a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator King worked to secure the authorizations for these critical defense programs and provisions important to Maine, while as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins worked to fund them in the Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill that passed the House yesterday and is expected to pass the Senate in the coming days.\r\n\u201cThis bill achieves one of the most fundamental purposes of the federal government: providing for the common defense. By authorizing funding for the Department of Defense, it allows us to fulfill our obligation to our men and women in uniform and their families, enhance our military force preparedness, and, among many other things, confront new and dangerous threats across the globe like ISIL,\u201d said Senator King, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \u201cI am particularly pleased that it fully authorizes funding for the DDG-51 and DDG-1000 class ships, which are vital to our Navy\u2019s fleet and helps sustain jobs at Bath Iron Works, along with several other critical provisions that will directly benefit Maine. Maine\u2019s contributions to our national defense are immense, and as we clearly see in this bill, our state will continue to play an important role in safeguarding our national security interests.\u201d\r\n\u201cThe National Defense Authorization Act, realized through a bipartisan and bicameral effort, illustrates the importance that Congress places on our nation\u2019s shipbuilding programs, including Bath Iron Works, which support the Navy in meeting its essential national security commitments around the globe.\u201d said Senator Collins, who is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.\u00a0 \u201cThis legislation contains numerous provisions to ensure our service members have the resources they need to accomplish critical missions overseas in protection of our country and our freedoms.\u00a0 Maine\u2019s contributions to our national security stretch from Kittery to Limestone and affect workers in every one of Maine\u2019s 16 counties.\u00a0 This bill will not only strengthen our military, but also will benefit Maine\u2019s economy and support good-paying jobs.\u201d\r\nProvisions of particular importance to Maine include:\r\n \r\nMore than $3 billion for Navy destroyer programs, including $419 million for the construction of DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers, $2.67 billion for the procurement of two DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one of which will be built at Bath as a part of the 5-ship multiyear procurement for Bath that was announced last year, and $134 million for DDG-51 advanced procurement.\r\n$32 million to construct a National Guard/Reserve Center Joint Force Headquarters in Augusta.\r\n$2.7 million for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) to be used for energy conservation projects. PNSY is a nationally recognized leader in energy efficiency and sustainability efforts, projects that Senator King saw firsthand while touring the shipyard last year.\r\nRequires the military to fund its depots\u2019 facilities Capital Investment Program at the levels required by law.\u00a0 PNSY is one of the Navy\u2019s depots that benefits from the funding provided by this program.\r\n$5.82 billion for procurement of 34 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.\u00a0 Components for the F-35 are built at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Saco, Hunting Dearborn Inc. in Fryeburg, and Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland.\r\nRejects calls by the Administration for a new Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.\r\n$1.6 billion for Navy facility maintenance and modernization, including projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.\u00a0\r\n$387.3 million for military engines that power F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft.\u00a0 Twenty-five percent of the parts for these engines will be built at the Pratt & Whitney plant in Maine.\u00a0 The F100-PW-229 production line would have closed without new orders.\r\n$25.3 million for M2 .50 caliber machine gun modifications performed at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Saco.\r\n$8.4 million for procurement of the Common Remotely Operated Weapons System (CROWS). Vingtech in Biddeford produce components for the CROWS.\r\n$25 million to support important Civil Air Patrol operations and maintenance nationwide. \u00a0The Civil Air Patrol has nine stations in Maine.\r\n$573 million for research and development for the CH-53K helicopter.\u00a0 Hunting Dearborn in Fryeburg manufactures the rotor shaft for this helicopter.\r\n$75 million in Rapid Innovation Program funding to increase investment in small businesses and developing technologies that benefit DoD.\r\n \r\nThe bill also contains a bipartisan, bicameral package of public land provisions, including legislation introduced by Senator King last year that would authorize a multi-year study of the York River to determine whether it is suitable to be designated as a Wild and Scenic Partnership River. Senator King urged leaders of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to include the bill in the larger lands package. Also included is legislation authored by Senator Collins to create a Commission to evaluate and plan the establishment of a National Women\u2019s History Museum. Since 2003, Senator Collins has led the effort to establish such a museum. The Commission will make recommendations to Congress about the need for and location of a museum and will be paid for entirely with private funds, at no costs to taxpayers.\r\nThe 2015 NDAA authorizes funding for the Department of Defense as well as national security programs under the Department of Energy and is based substantially on two bills: 1) H.R. 4435, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which passed the House of Representatives on May 22nd by a vote of 325-98; and 2) S.2410, which was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee \u2013 with the support of Senator King \u2013 on the same day by a vote of 25-1. The two bills were merged through a series of negotiations led by the leadership of the two committees.\r\nThe legislation provides for the pay and benefits earned by members of the military and their families, provides for national defense \u2013 including the authorization of funds for operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria \u2013 and reflects our national security policies and priorities as a nation. For additional information on the NDAA, click HERE.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-selected-to-serve-on-senate-energy-and-natural-resources-committee", "King Selected to Serve on Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Selected to Serve on Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tCommittee holds jurisdiction over national energy policy\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee today assigned him to serve on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources during the 114th Congress. Senator King worked closely with the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership to secure this important appointment for Maine.\r\n\u201cHigh energy costs, particularly in states like Maine, continue to eat away at people\u2019s budgets and often unfairly force them to make the impossible choice between heating their homes, putting food on the table, or paying for medications and other basic necessities,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cServing on this committee will give me the opportunity to fight for Maine\u2019s energy future, work hard to protect its beautiful and abundant natural resources, and encourage a cleaner, more deliberate national energy policy.\u201d\r\nThe Committee has oversight and legislative responsibility for national energy policy, electricity markets, issues regarding pipeline infrastructure, as well as national parks and other federal lands, among other policy areas.\r\nSenator King will also continue to serve Maine on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Senate Budget Committee, and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.\r\nThe committee assignments are subject to ratification by the caucus and the Senate when the 114th Congress convenes in January.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/this-week-in-washington-senate-report-on-cia-interrogation-practices-mccain-floor-speech", "This Week in Washington: Senate Report on CIA Interrogation Practices, McCain Floor Speech", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This Week in Washington: Senate Report on CIA Interrogation Practices, McCain Floor Speech\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 As part of his ongoing effort to keep the people of Maine informed of his work in Washington, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) recapped this week\u2019s events in the nation\u2019s capital. This week, Senator King discussed the release of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report regarding the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Detention and Interrogation Program, and highlighted the speech offered by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) following the release of the report. Senator McCain, a veteran of the Vietnam War, was captured and held captive for more than 5 years, during which time he was tortured repeatedly. During his remarks, Senator McCain spoke about how the actions identified in the report are inconsistent with American ideals. Senator King ends his weekly recap with Senator McCain\u2019s remarks, in their entirety.\r\nYou can watch Senator King\u2019s complete recap, including Senator McCain\u2019s complete floor speech, below. A broadcast quality version is available for download\u00a0here.\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/the-vanishing-male-worker-how-america-fell-behind", "The Vanishing Male Worker: How America Fell Behind", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Vanishing Male Worker: How America Fell Behind\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By:\u00a0 Binyamin Appelbaum \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tANNAPOLIS, Md. \u2014 Frank Walsh still pays dues to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, but more than four years have passed since his name was called at the union hall where the few available jobs are distributed. Mr. Walsh, his wife and two children live on her part-time income and a small inheritance from his mother, which is running out.\r\nSitting in the food court at a mall near his Maryland home, he sees that some of the restaurants are hiring. He says he can\u2019t wait much longer to find a job. But he\u2019s not ready yet.\r\n\u201cI\u2019d work for them, but they\u2019re only willing to pay $10 an hour,\u201d he said, pointing at a Chick-fil-A that probably pays most of its workers less than that. \u201cI\u2019m 49 with two kids \u2014 $10 just isn\u2019t going to cut it.\u201d\r\nWorking, in America, is in decline. The share of prime-age men \u2014 those 25 to 54 years old \u2014 who are not working has more than tripled since the late 1960s, to 16 percent. More recently, since the turn of the century, the share of women without paying jobs has been rising, too. The United States, which had one of the highest employment rates among developed nations as recently as 2000, has fallen toward the bottom of the list.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121214", "News December 12", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 12\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nHouse Sends Spending Bill to Senate\u00a0The House narrowly approved a $1.1 trillion spending package to keep most government agencies operating through next summer. The 219-206 vote came late Thursday less than three hours before government funding expired at midnight. The Senate is expected to vote Friday on the package loaded with Republican policy riders to loosen Wall Street regulations, slash pensions and cut environmental protection spending. \u201cThis is a bad bill, and I'm certainly going to vote against it,\u201d Sen. Bernie Sanders told\u00a0MSNBC.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s does not reflect the needs of the working families of this country\u201d he told The Washington Post. It contains \u201cvery onerous provisions which will hurt working people,\u201d he said in Politico. LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0VIDEO\u00a0\r\nBreaks for Big Banks While the bill includes increased funding for veterans' health care - one of Sanders's top priorities - he told The Washington Post that the changes in Wall Street regulations are \u201ctotally absurd.\u201d Congressional Quarterly said Sens. Sanders and Elizabeth Warren threatened to vote against the bill over their concerns that it undercuts a Wall Street reform law by letting banks protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation trade in risky derivatives. \u201cInstead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs who plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy,\u201d Sanders said in The Hill. LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nBudget Politics \u201cThe desires of establishment Democrats have been increasingly drowned out by liberals like Sen. Warren, who have energized activists across America and are beginning to pull other Democrats further to the left. That's a dynamic that will likely play out in the Democratic presidential primaries. To many in the party, likely front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton is too cozy with Wall Street and out of step with the grass roots. She's likely to be challenged on that front by a handful of rivals, including Sen. Sanders\u2026,\u201d according to a Washington Post analysis also published by the Valley News in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. LINK, LINK\r\nSanders: No on Defense Bill The Senate on Thursday advanced a bill authorizing $560 billion dollars for military spending. Sen. Sanders voted no. He said he has concerns about a boated military budget and that the bill reflects misplaced national priorities. \"We have millions of working class families today finding it very difficult to send their kids to college; we're not addressing that. We have young people graduating from college deeply in debt; we're not addressing that. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our roads, bridges, water systems, airports. We're not addressing that when, if we did, we could create millions of decent paying jobs.\u201d Sanders said he supports a strong national defense but it is unacceptable for the Defense Department to be waste massive amounts of money, WVNY-TV reported. VIDEO\r\nHealth Funding Threatened\u00a0Integral funding for primary care services nationwide are under threat as Congress closes out its session,\u00a0Congressional Quarterly\u00a0reported. Sen. Sanders said \"it is an absolute imperative\" that Congress\u00a0extend funding set to expire next September for community health centers before millions \"lose access to doctors and dentists and mental health counseling and low-cost prescription drugs.\"\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nTreasury Nominee\u00a0An increasing number of senators, including Sen. Sanders, oppose the nomination of Wall Street banker Antonio Weiss to a key Treasury Department post,\u00a0Bloomberg,\u00a0Salon\u00a0and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nDomestic Surveillance\u00a0In a\u00a0letter\u00a0sent Tuesday\u00a0to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security\u00a0Jeh Johnson, 10 Democratic senators and Sen. Sanders asked how law enforcement officers are permitted to use cell-site simulators which intercept Americans' cell data,\u00a0Ars Technica\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nTorture Report\u00a0In the wake of the release of a Senate Intelligence Committee report, Sen. Bernie Sanders called the Central Intelligence Agency's brutal interrogation tactics an \"ugly chapter in American history during which our leaders and the intelligence community dishonored our nation's proud traditions,\"\u00a0CBS News\u00a0and CNN reported online. Sanders said a great nation \"must be prepared to acknowledge its errors.\"\u00a0LINK, LINK\r\nInnovation Exchange\u00a0Democrats are looking to form an organization to serve as an exchange for policy ideas among state lawmakers after a decade of deep losses in state legislatures,\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0reported. The group met for the first time at the Center for American Progress on Thursday in Washington, D.C. at an event with Sen. Sanders and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWorld\r\nHong Kong Protesters Cleared by Police For the Hong Kong authorities and their superiors in Beijing, the peaceful end to the protest is likely to be seen as a major victory. They repeatedly rebuffed demands for a greater degree of democracy in this former British colony, and defused the longest sustained political uprising on Chinese territory in many years without a bloody crackdown, according to The New York Times. LINK\r\nNational\r\nObama Backs Spending Bill\u00a0The White House swung its support behind a $1.1 trillion spending billl on Thursday after many Democrats promised to oppose the legislation due to policy riders that would slash pensions, scale back Wall Street regulations and cut environmental protection funding,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nJ.P. Morgan Calls Congress Should banks be allowed to make risky investments using taxpayer-backed money? The very idea was abhorrent to many Democrats on Capitol Hill. And some were stunned that the White House would support the bill with that provision intact, given that it would erase a key provision of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation, one of Obama\u2019s signature achievements. But perhaps even more outrageous to Democrats was that the language in the bill appeared to come directly from the pens of lobbyists at the nation\u2019s biggest banks, aides said. The provision was so important to the profits at those companies that J.P.Morgan's chief executive Jamie Dimon himself telephoned individual lawmakers to urge them to vote for it, according to The Washington Post. LINK\r\nCIA Chief Defends Agency\u00a0In a rare televised Central Intelligence Agency news conference,\u00a0Director John Brennan challenged a Senate report on the agency's interrogation tactics and said the CIA \"did a lot of things right\" after the September 11 terror attacks,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nPoll: Half of Republicans Back Limits on Carbon When Republicans take control of Congress next month, top on their agenda will be undoing environmental regulations they claim will harm the economy, chief among them President Obama's plans to limit heat-trapping carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants. But a new poll for The Associated Press found that six in 10 Americans, including half of all Republicans, support regulation of carbon dioxide pollution. Nearly half of Republicans said the U.S. should lead the global fight to curb climate change, even if it means taking action when other countries do not. And majorities across party lines said environmental protections \"improve economic growth and provide new jobs\" in the long run, a popular Obama administration talking point. LINK\r\nWhite House \u201916 Hillary Rodham Clinton is signaling that she will postpone making her shadow campaign official until later in 2015 than expected, according to The Washington Post. Clinton is also debating whether to even establish an exploratory committee \u2014 a placeholder organization that would allow her to raise money to pay for consultants, office space and other operating expenses \u2013 because the move would trigger financial disclosures she can now avoid.\r\nVermont\r\nWelch Votes No Rep. Peter Welch voted against the bill because it included \u201crelief for Wall Street banks\u201d and another provision \u201callowing very wealthy people to give huge, over $2 million contributions to party committees in an election cycle,\u201d he told Vermont Public Radio. LINK\r\nLeahy Takes Credit for Drug Money in Bill Aides to Sen. Patrick Leahy say the $1.1 trillion bill contains law enforcement and drug treatment grants inspired by a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee\u2019s visit to Rutland eight months ago, the Rutland Herald and Times Argus reported. LINK\r\nFood Labels Lawmakers in Washington are considering legislation that would prohibit Vermont and other states from requiring labels on foods made with genetically modified organisms unless the Food and Drug Administration finds that the products pose a safety threat. The issue was raised at a hearing held by the U.S. House Commerce Committee. Supporters of Vermont's mandatory GMO labeling law stressed the importance of giving consumers important information about the food that they buy, VPR reported. LINK\r\nFairPoint Outage\u00a0FairPoint said it was working to restore service for thousands of customers across Vermont and part of New Hampshire who've lost their high-speed Internet service,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported. Thousands of FairPoint workers in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire are on strike.\u00a0LINK\r\nEat More Kale A Vermont folk artist who became a folk hero to some after taking on the fast-food giant Chik-fil-A in a legal fight with can now legally protect the phrase \"eat more kale.\" Chik-fil-A had objected to the use of the phrase by Bo Muller-Moore of Montpelier because of its similarity to the company's trademark phrase \"eat mor chikin.\" Muller-Moore says the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted his application to trademark \"Eat more kale,\u201d AP reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-appointed-ranking_member-of-senate-budget-committee", "Sanders Appointed Ranking  Member of Senate Budget Committee", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Appointed Ranking  Member of Senate Budget Committee\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 12 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Sanders\u2019 appointment as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee in the next session of Congress:\r\n\u201cI want to thank Sen. Reid and the Democratic caucus for the opportunity to serve as the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. At a time when the middle class is disappearing and the gap between the rich and everybody else is growing wider, we need a budget which reflects the needs of working families and not Wall Street and the top 1 percent. I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans on the committee to craft a budget that is fair to all Americans, not just the powerful special interests.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-opposes-spending-bill", "Sanders Opposes Spending Bill", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Opposes Spending Bill\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 12 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on a massive $1.01 trillion spending bill that the Senate plans to take up later today:\r\n\u201cAt a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America\u2019s working families.\r\n\u201cInstead of helping to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and other programs that help working families, this bill would allow the Pentagon to spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined on our military and seemingly never-ending wars in the Middle East.\u201d\r\n\u201cInstead of investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of decent-paying jobs, this bill would let companies renege on promises they made to their workers by cutting the pension benefits of current retirees.\r\n\u201cInstead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs whose greed and illegal behavior plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy.\r\n\u201cInstead of cutting back on the ability of billionaires to buy elections, this bill outrageously gives the wealthy even more power over the political process.\r\n\u201cInstead of giving the Environmental Protection Agency the tools it needs to begin dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming, this bill would cut spending by the EPA.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-rivers-recognized-as-wild-and-scenic-rivers", "Vermont Rivers Recognized as Wild and Scenic Rivers", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Vermont Rivers Recognized as \u2018Wild and Scenic Rivers\u2019\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 12 \u2013 Vermont\u2019s congressional delegation applauded the passage today of legislation to add portions of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.\r\n\u201cVermont\u2019s rivers are an essential part of our state\u2019s rural character. The wild and scenic designation highlights the unique cultural, scenic and recreational qualities of these Vermont rivers,\u201d the delegation said in a joint statement. \u201cThe recognition also empowers communities along the rivers to protect these resources.\u201d\r\nThe measure was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), co-sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the measure in the House. The House passed the legislation on Sept. 15 and the Senate passed the measure today. The Vermont congressional delegation began work on this designation back in 2007 at the request of local communities, when the initial legislation to authorize a study of this potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was first introduced.\r\nDesignation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will help protect the natural, cultural and recreational qualities of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout rivers, enabling continued enjoyment of the rivers by fishermen, hunters and paddlers.\u00a0It will also help maintain water quality within the rivers, as well as in Lake Champlain.\r\nThe National Wild and Scenic Rivers system was established in 1968 to recognize and preserve rivers with exceptional scenic and recreational value. Forty-one states and territories now have rivers listed in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Missisquoi and Trout Rivers are Vermont\u2019s first rivers to be added to the prestigious national river network.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-says-no-to-spending-bill", "Sanders Says 'No' to Spending Bill", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Says 'No' to Spending Bill\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAs the Senate prepared to take up a massive $1.01 trillion spending bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders explained why he plans to vote against the measure. \u201cAt a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America\u2019s working families,\u201d said Sanders.\r\n\u201cInstead of helping to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and other programs that help working families, this bill would allow the Pentagon to spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined on our military and seemingly never-ending wars in the Middle East. Instead of investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of decent-paying jobs, this bill would let companies renege on promises they made to their workers by cutting the pension benefits of current retirees.\r\n\u201cInstead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs whose greed and illegal behavior plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy. Instead of cutting back on the ability of billionaires to buy elections, this bill outrageously gives the wealthy even more power over the political process.\r\n\u201cInstead of giving the Environmental Protection Agency the tools it needs to begin dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming, this bill would cut spending by the EPA.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-121214", "The Week in Review", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Week in Review\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 12, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Senate on Friday took up a $1.1 trillion spending bill jam-packed by Republicans with favors for big banks and big businesses. Sen. Bernie Sanders said he opposes the measure that \u201ccomes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America\u2019s working families.\u201d The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday issued a blistering report blaming the Central Intelligence Agency for misleading Congress about its brutal interrogations of terrorism suspects. The Senate on Friday approved a bloated budget bill for the military. Sanders voted no. Also on Friday, Senate leadership named Sanders the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee.\r\nSpending Bill As the Senate prepared to take up a massive spending bill, Sanders explained why he plans to vote against the measure. \u201cAt a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America\u2019s working families,\u201d said Sanders. Instead of helping to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and other programs that help working families, this bill would allow the Pentagon to spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined on our military and seemingly never-ending wars in the Middle East. Instead of investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of decent-paying jobs, this bill would let companies renege on promises they made to their workers by cutting the pension benefits of current retirees. Instead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs whose greed and illegal behavior plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy. Instead of cutting back on the ability of billionaires to buy elections, this bill outrageously gives the wealthy even more power over the political process. Instead of giving the Environmental Protection Agency the tools it needs to begin dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming, this bill would cut spending by the EPA.\u201d\r\nDefense Bill The Senate on Friday passed a bill authorizing $560 billion for the Department of Defense. Sanders was one of 11 senators who voted no. \u201cI am voting no because I have very serious concerns about our nation's bloated military budget and the misplaced national priorities this bill reflects. At a time when our national debt is more than $18 trillion and we spend nearly as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue to end the waste and financial mismanagement that have plagued the Pentagon for years.\u201d He said the military budget books are so convoluted and management problems are so severe that congressional auditors for the Government Accountability Office deem the Pentagon budget to be un-auditable. \u201cI support a strong defense system for our country and a robust National Guard and Reserve that can meet our domestic and foreign challenges. At a time when the country is struggling with huge unmet needs, however, it is unacceptable that the Defense Department continues to waste massive amounts of money.\u201d\r\nTorture Report The Senate Intelligence Committee found that the CIA misled the White House and Congress about the brutal interrogation of terrorism suspects. \u201cThis report details an ugly chapter in American history during which our leaders and the intelligence community dishonored our nation\u2019s proud traditions,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cOf course we must aggressively pursue international terrorists who would do us harm, but we must do so in a way that is consistent with the basic respect for human rights which makes us proud to be Americans.\u201d He said the United States must not engage in torture. \u201cIf we do, in an increasingly brutal world, we lose our moral standing to condemn other nations or groups that engage in uncivilized behavior,\u201d the senator added. Read the report\u00a0\r\nSanders Tapped as Budget Committee Ranking Member Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday announced Sanders\u2019 appointment as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee in the next session of Congress. \u201cI want to thank Sen. Reid and the Democratic caucus for the opportunity to serve as the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. At a time when the middle class is disappearing and the gap between the rich and everybody else is growing wider, we need a budget which reflects the needs of working families and not Wall Street and the top 1 percent. I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans on the committee to craft a budget that is fair to all Americans, not just the powerful special interests.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/congress-passes-king-amendment-to-reduce-administrative-costs-in-intelligence-community", "Congress Passes King Amendment to Reduce Administrative Costs in Intelligence Community", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congress Passes King Amendment to Reduce Administrative Costs in Intelligence Community\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Last night, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2015 Intelligence Authorization Act including an amendment authored by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, requiring the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to report to Congress on the Intelligence Community\u2019s efforts to reduce administrative costs. The measure passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, the House of Representatives last night, and now heads to the President\u2019s desk for his signature to become law.\r\n\u201cThe government, including the Intelligence Community, should always strive to use taxpayer dollars in an efficient and effective way,\u201d said Senator King. \u201cAnd when you consider that most of the Intelligence Community\u2019s budget is classified out of necessity, it is critical that the Director of National Intelligence report to Congress on expenditures and allocations to ensure that taxpayer money is being spent wisely.\u201d\r\nSenator King\u2019s amendment would require the DNI to submit to the Congressional Intelligence Committees a report with a description of the status and effectiveness of efforts to:\r\n \r\nDevise alternatives to government travel and promote efficient travel spending\r\nLimit costs related to hosting and attending conferences\r\nAssess information technology inventories and usage, and establish controls, to reduce costs related to underutilized information technology equipment, software, or services\r\nImprove the performance of Federal fleet motor vehicles and limit executive transportation\r\nLimit the purchase of extraneous promotions items, such as plaques, clothing, and commemorative items, and;\r\nConsolidate and streamline workforce training programs to focus on the highest priority workforce and mission needs\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/federal-funding-bill-supports-maines-defense-industry-and-jobs", "Federal Funding Bill Supports Maine’s Defense Industry and Jobs", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Federal Funding Bill Supports Maine\u2019s Defense Industry and Jobs\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 With the support of U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees have reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill that provides $554 billion in funds for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DoE).\u00a0 The bill includes more than $3 billion for the U.S. Navy destroyer programs, including $2.66 billion for two Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works, and $419 million for construction of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers.\u00a0 The bill also included funding for many other investments in Maine.\r\n\u201cI am pleased that this bill will continue to fully fund the DDG-51 and DDG-1000 programs which are essential to the future of our surface fleet and the jobs for the hard-working shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works,\u201d said Senator Collins who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that drafted the bill.\u00a0 \u201cThe renewed focus in the Asia-Pacific region as an area of the highest strategic interest, as well as instability in other areas of the world, require the maintenance and growth of a strong Navy fleet.\u201d\r\n\u201cThousands of Mainers, like those at BIW, work hard day in and day out to support our country\u2019s national security and defense mission,\u201d said Senator King, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \u201cThis bill is a continued investment in their work as well as a recognition that they will play a fundamental role as our armed forces confront threats across the globe and protect our interests at home.\u201d\r\nAs a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins worked to fund, and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator King worked to authorize funding for, these critical defense programs and other provisions important to Maine:\r\n \r\n$6 billion for procurement of 38 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.\u00a0 Components for the F-35 are built at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Saco, Hunting Dearborn Inc. in Fryeburg, and Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe bill eliminates funding for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round proposed by the Obama Administration.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe bill includes $1.6 billion for Navy facility maintenance and modernization, including projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.\u00a0 This funding is $148 million more than the President\u2019s budget request.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe report accompanying the bill also includes language proposed by Senator Collins to ensure the Navy funds the capital investment for the Navy\u2019s four public shipyards, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, at the level required by law.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\n$498 million for military engines that power F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft, which is $111 million more than the President's budget request.\u00a0 Twenty-five percent of the parts for these engines will be built at the Pratt & Whitney plant in Maine.\u00a0 The F100-PW-229 production line would have closed without new orders.\r\n \r\n \r\nNeither the bill nor the report includes an unnecessary and costly study of an extra engine for the F-35 fighter, which would have competed with the existing engine produced by Pratt & Whitney.\r\n \r\n \r\n$25.3 million for M2 .50 caliber machine gun modifications performed at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Saco.\r\n \r\n \r\n$13.4 million for procurement of the Common Remotely Operated Weapons System (CROWS). Vingtech in Biddeford produce components for the CROWS.\r\n \r\n \r\n$27.4 million to support important Civil Air Patrol operations and maintenance nationwide, which is $2.4 million more than the President's budget request. The Civil Air Patrol has nine stations in Maine.\r\n \r\n \r\n$560 million for research and development for the CH-53K helicopter.\u00a0 Hunting Dearborn in Fryeburg manufactures the rotor shaft for this helicopter.\r\n \r\n \r\n$225 million in Rapid Innovation Program funding to increase investment in small businesses and developing technologies that benefit DoD.\r\n \r\nThe Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus Appropriations Bill is being considered by the House of Representatives before it can be sent to the Senate and signed into law by the President.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-applauds-fcc-decision-to-modernize-e-rate-program", "King Applauds FCC Decision to Modernize E-Rate Program", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Applauds FCC Decision to Modernize E-Rate Program\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to modernize the Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries, more commonly known as E-Rate. The FCC approved the second phase of an effort to close the rural connectivity gap and boost high-speed Internet access at schools and libraries across America.\r\n\u201cAccess to high-speed broadband is an essential part of ensuring that students in the United States, no matter where they live, have the digital learning tools necessary to compete in today\u2019s global economy,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cThe Internet has changed drastically since the creation of the E-Rate program in 1996, and as digital learning becomes more and more important, it\u2019s critical that we modernize and strengthen the E-Rate program to help give our students a chance to succeed. I applaud the FCC\u2019s vote to increase administrative efficiency and address the long term sustainability of the program. By putting in place E-rate 2.0, the FCC has taken a pivotal step to move us closer to bringing high-speed broadband to every school, classroom, and library in America.\u201d\r\nIn an online op-ed in Roll Call yesterday, Senator King and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urged the FCC to move forward with modernizing the E-Rate program, and in June, he signed onto a bipartisan letter with Senators Michael Bennet (D-Co.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) pressing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to do the same.\r\nE-Rate, the nation\u2019s largest education technology program, provides federal funding to schools and libraries to support access to modern communications and the Internet. The program was established by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, a bipartisan effort lead by then-U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and then-Congressman, now U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.).\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-warner-usher-regulatory-relief-for-community-banks-credit-unions-through-senate", "King, Warner Usher Regulatory Relief for Community Banks, Credit Unions Through Senate", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King, Warner Usher Regulatory Relief for Community Banks, Credit Unions Through Senate\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the United States Senate unanimously passed two provisions authored by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) to help relieve America\u2019s small financial institutions, like community banks and credits unions, of regulatory burdens so that they are better able to serve their communities.\r\n\u201cSmall banks and credit unions are often the financial cornerstones of communities across the country, providing the very credit that helps drive our economy each and every day,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cBut while these smaller institutions played no part in causing the financial crisis in 2008, they have often been forced to shoulder the burden of too many poorly-tailored regulations intended to prevent the next one. These provisions will lift some of those onerous requirements and provide parity for accounts between community banks and credit unions, all of which will help smaller lending institutions better serve the communities that rely upon them.\u201d\r\n\u201cCommunity banks and credit unions are the backbone of the U.S. economy.\u00a0 According to the FDIC, small banks hold 14% of the nation\u2019s banking assets and make nearly half of all of the smaller loans to farms and small businesses.\u00a0 That is why I am so pleased to get final passage on our proposals to reduce regulatory burdens on smaller institutions and create parity for certain accounts between community banks and credit unions. This allows community-based financial institutions to do what they do best: support our local economies,\u201d said Senator Warner.\r\nThe two provisions, authored by Senators King and Warner, had also been introduced as part of the RELIEVE Act earlier this year. A description of each is below:\r\n \r\nThe community bank relief bill allows small bank holding companies with under $1 billion in assets to be regulated under the Small Bank Holding Company Statement (SBHCS), which allows simplified reporting requirements and less stringent capital standards that reflect the traditional banking services that these smaller banks provide. The current SBHCS applies only to institutions below $500 million in assets.\u00a0 The change will reduce regulatory burdens for 89 percent of bank holding companies, up from 75 percent today.\u00a0This policy change is supported by the Federal Reserve, with Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo calling on Congress to boost the SBHCS to $1 billion in speech in November. It has also been endorsed by the Independent Community Bankers of America and the American Bankers Association.\r\n \r\n \r\nCurrently, interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTAs) at banks are able to receive FDIC insurance on deposits; similar accounts at credit unions are not insured.\u00a0 This bill provides credit unions parity with FDIC-insured institutions when it comes to deposit insurance coverage on IOLTAs and other escrow accounts.\u00a0 A similar version of this language passed the House by voice vote in May 2014 and has been endorsed by the Credit Union National Association; the National Association of Federal Credit Unions; and the American Bar Association.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121114", "News December 11", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 11\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nTorture Report Sen. Bernard Sanders denounced the brutal interrogation tactics described in a withering Senate Intelligence Committee report on the Central Intelligence Agency. He told The New York Times in an interview that he was especially disturbed by the panel's conclusion that the CIA misled the White House and Congress. \"If anyone is lying to elected officials, they should be fired immediately,\" he said.\u00a0But most of the major presidential candidates would not plunge into the debate over the report and some ducked questions entirely. Sen. Rand Paul, approached outside his office Wednesday, would not answer questions. LINK\r\nBig Hug for Rich Donors Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage at a provision slipped into the omnibus government funding bill that would expand the amount wealthy donors can give to national political party committees. The provision, buried on page 1,599 of a 1,603-page bill, would increase the sums a single contributor could give to a party committee by nearly tenfold. Sen. Sanders told The Huffington Post that the provision is \u201ca total outrage.\u201d In a Senate speech, Sanders said that \"the billionaire class can now put unlimited sums of money into elect candidates who represent their interests,\u201d CNN, KVUE-TV in Austin, Texas, WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, WSJV-TV in South Bend, Indiana, and other stations reported. LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nTreasury Pick Panned An increasing number of senators, including Sanders, oppose the nomination of Wall Street banker Antonio Weiss to a key Treasury Department post,\u00a0Salon,\u00a0CNN Money, Politico, American Banker, Talking Points Memo\u00a0and The Huffington Post reported. The brawl has become a proxy battle for a deepening rift in the party over its ties to the financial industry, according to a Wall Street Journal article listing Sanders among those opposing the New York banker. Sanders raised questions about the nominee\u2019s experience helping corporations move overseas to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.\u00a0\u201cWe need economists in government who have a history of helping to create jobs, not helping corporations avoid taxes,\u201d Sanders told Market Watch. LINK,\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nBig Boost for Pre-K Vermont has been awarded $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs at public schools and Head Start agencies throughout the state. WCAX-TV reported that Sen. Sanders helped secure the funding.\u00a0\"At a time when working families are struggling to find quality and affordable child care, this grant is a big boost for Vermont,\" Sanders said in the\u00a0Burlington Free Press, Times Argus, Rutland Herald, Bennington Banner and Brattleboro Reformer. VIDEO,\u00a0LINK, LINK, LINK,\u00a0LINK, LINK\r\nHealth Care Outgoing Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin said this week that Democrats \"blew it\" in 2009 when they didn't enact single-payer health care,\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0reported. Sen. Sanders in 2009 said he thought there were 50 votes in the Senate the idea.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nProgressive Agenda\u00a0Progressive groups are rolling out a \"Big Ideas Project\" initiative to solicit input from the American people ahead of the 2016 elections, according to\u00a0The Washington Times. Twenty-nine lawmakers, including Sen. Sanders, agreed to \"seriously consider\" the ideas offered in the formation of a national legislative agenda.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWorld\r\nUN Demands Torture Prosecutions\u00a0All senior U.S. officials and CIA agents who authorized or carried out torture like waterboarding as part of former President George W. Bush's national security policy must be prosecuted, top U.N. officials told\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0Wednesday. The Justice Department has declined to prosecute and the U.S. is not a member of the International Criminal Court.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nSpending Bill Congress limped Wednesday toward a rare bipartisan agreement on a $1.1 trillion spending bill to keep most of the government operating through next year. Lawmakers in both parties balked over details in the 1,600-page bill but Republican leaders and some Democrats expressed confidence that a government shutdown would be averted. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, who as the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee helped to negotiate a deal, called the spending plan a \u201cmonumental achievement\u201d in an era of seemingly intractable partisan divides. LINK\r\nPension Cuts\u00a0Republicans are pushing severe cuts to the benefits of current retirees in a measure expected to move as an amendment in the House and pass the Senate Thursday,\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nWall Street Reforms\u00a0Much to the chagrin of Democratic lawmakers, a spending bill to keep the government open also would roll back provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill,\u00a0National Journal\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nCampaign Finance\u00a0The $1.1 trillion spending agreement would vastly expand the amount of money that donors can give political parties,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nOutside Groups Set Spending Record in Midterms Political groups independent of candidates spent more than $814 million to influence congressional elections last month, a record for the midterms and nearly twice the spending in 2010, Federal Election Commission records show. The most obvious explanation for the rapid increase is the effect of the 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court and the rise in spending by super PACs, which can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and unions, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nVA Hospital Project Grinds to a Halt A Department of Veterans Affairs hospital project near Denver came to a standstill this week after federal judges ruled the VA was in breach of contract, hundreds of millions of dollars over budget and devoid of a plan to adequately fund the facility, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nMany Say American Dream is Out of Reach Despite an improving economy and jobs picture, the public is more pessimistic than it was after the 2008 financial crisis that it is possible to work hard and become rich, according to a New York Times poll. The poll found that only 64 percent of respondents said they still believed in the American dream, the lowest result in roughly two decades. Even near the depth of the financial crisis in early 2009, 72 percent of Americans still believed that hard work could result in riches. \u201cThings have changed a lot,\u201d Michael Herdmann, a 54-year-old retired public works employee from Fairview Park, Ohio. \u201cThe decks have been stacked against not only the lower class but also the lower middle class.\u201d LINK\r\nVermont\r\nWinter Wallop Cuts Power\u00a0A two-day storm has dumped more than a foot of heavy wet snow in parts of Vermont, leaving more than 55,000 without electricity,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nLeahy Hails More Money for Crime Victims U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy is hailing a tripling in federal funding for crime victims and their families. The crime victims' fund had been capped at $745 million, but Leahy pressed for more of the money that's collected in fines and court assessments to be distributed to crime victims and programs supporting them, AP reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-votes-no-on-defense-authorization-bill", "Sanders Votes No on Defense Authorization Bill", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Votes No on Defense Authorization Bill\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 11 \u2013 The Senate today advanced a Department of Defense bill that would authorize $560 billion for the military. The vote was 85-14. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voted \u201cno\u201d and issued the following statement:\r\n\u201cI am voting no because I have very serious concerns about our nation's bloated military budget and the misplaced national priorities this bill reflects.\r\n\u201cAt a time when our national debt is more than $18 trillion and we spend nearly as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue to end the waste and financial mismanagement that have plagued the Pentagon for years.\r\n\u201cThe situation is so absurd that the military is unable to even account for how it spends all of its money. The non-partisan watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, said \u2018serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense made its financial statements un-auditable.\u2019\r\n\u201cI support a strong defense system for our country and a robust National Guard and Reserve that can meet our domestic and foreign challenges. At a time when the country is struggling with huge unmet needs, however, it is unacceptable that the Defense Department continues to waste massive amounts of money.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-welcomes-funding-for-affordable-rental-housing", "Sanders Welcomes Funding for Affordable Rental Housing", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Welcomes Funding for Affordable Rental Housing\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Decision could mean up to $3 million for Vermont to meet rental housing needs\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 11 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a national leader in efforts to increase affordable housing, welcomed a move today that could free up hundreds of millions of dollars to expand affordable rental housing nationwide.\r\nThe Federal Housing Finance Agency today decided to use excess profits from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to fund the National Housing Trust Fund starting next year. The contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will provide a new dedicated revenue source for states to finance very-low-income rental housing construction and rehabilitation projects.\r\n\u201cThis is really excellent news,\u201d said Sanders, who first proposed legislation in the House of Representative in 2001 to create the Housing Trust Fund. The Housing Trust Fund became law in 2008, but has never received any funding, until now.\r\n\u201cIt is no secret that over the past decade, incomes have not come close to keeping pace with the escalating costs of housing. At a time when millions of families are struggling to get by, and when many households are spending 50 percent or more of their limited income on housing, the Trust Fund will provide resources to build the affordable housing we desperately need and create thousands of good-paying jobs.\u201d\r\nThe National Low Income Housing Coalition had estimated that in 2012 there were only 3.2 million rental housing units available and affordable for the 10.3 million extremely-low-income households that need them. Sheila Crowley, the coalition president, cited Sanders\u2019 role in a statement celebrating \u201ca great victory\u201d for the homeless and poor. \u201cAt long last, the National Housing Trust Fund will have funds to begin to ameliorate the shortage of housing that they can afford. I am very grateful to Sen. Bernie Sanders for championing the NHTF since the first days of our campaign in 2001.\u201d\r\nIn Vermont, Erhard Mahnke of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition said he was \u201cabsolutely thrilled at this wonderful news.\u201d He said the funding \u201cwill create much-needed housing that is affordable to low-income Vermonters working at low-wage service sector jobs or living on fixed incomes.\u201d\r\nThe Trust Fund will provide block grants to the states, at least 90% of which must be used for the protection, preservation, rehabilitation, or operation of rental housing. No less than 75% of the funds for rental housing will benefit extremely low income households with the rest benefiting those with very low incomes. Up to 10% of Trust Fund resources may be used for homeownership activities for people with very low incomes. Sanders included a provision in the bill to ensure that no state receives less than $3 million annually.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-opposes-bloated-pentagon-budget", "Sanders Opposes Bloated Pentagon Budget", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Opposes Bloated Pentagon Budget\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 11, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Senate on Thursday advanced a Department of Defense bill that would authorize $560 billion for the military. The vote was 85-14. Sen. Bernie Sanders voted no. \u201cI am voting no because I have very serious concerns about our nation's bloated military budget and the misplaced national priorities this bill reflects. At a time when our national debt is more than $18 trillion and we spend nearly as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue to end the waste and financial mismanagement that have plagued the Pentagon for years.\r\n\u201cThe situation is so absurd that the military is unable to even account for how it spends all of its money. The non-partisan watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, said \u2018serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense made its financial statements un-auditable.\u2019\r\n\u201cI support a strong defense system for our country and a robust National Guard and Reserve that can meet our domestic and foreign challenges. At a time when the country is struggling with huge unmet needs, however, it is unacceptable that the Defense Department continues to waste massive amounts of money.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-announce-148-million-grant-to-expand-preschool-services-in-maine", "Collins, King Announce $14.8 Million Grant to Expand Preschool Services in Maine", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, King Announce $14.8 Million Grant to Expand Preschool Services in Maine\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Maine Department of Education will receive a four-year, $14.8 million federal grant that will allow 13 school districts in the state to create or expand on existing preschool programs.\r\n\u201cEarly childhood education is an investment in Maine\u2019s future,\u201d said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. \u201cWe are thrilled the Department of Education has recognized Maine\u2019s efforts to move toward universal voluntary pre-K, and know these funds will substantially increase the availability and impact of preschool programs across our state.\u201d\r\nMaine is one of just 18 states receiving a competitive award through the new Preschool Development Grants Program, a joint initiative from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Thirty six states applied for this inaugural round of Preschool Development Grants. The awards nationwide total more than $226 million. Maine will receive $3,497,319 in the first year of the grant.\r\nThe Preschool Development Grants Program supports state efforts to create or enhance preschool programs in high-need communities, while building or improving infrastructure to better deliver preschool services. President Obama announced the initiative in August of 2014. Grant awards are divided into two principal categories: development and expansion. Development grants are awarded to states with small or no state-funded preschool programs. States with more robust preschool programs are awarded expansion grants. Maine is one of 13 states receiving an expansion grant.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-hail-full-funding-for-trade-adjustment-assistance-program-in-proposed-funding-bill", "Collins, King Hail Full Funding for Trade Adjustment Assistance Program in Proposed Funding Bill", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, King Hail Full Funding for Trade Adjustment Assistance Program in Proposed Funding Bill\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tWorkers displaced at Verso Bucksport Mill, UTC Pittsfield qualified for TAA assistance\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S Senator Angus King today announced that the funding bill agreement, which will fund the government through Fiscal Year 2015, includes full funding of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. This will maintain benefits for all workers currently covered by TAA, including those at UTC Pittsfield and the Verso mill in Bucksport, as well as those certified in FY15.\u00a0\r\nThe purpose of the TAA program is to aid workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages decrease as a result of increased imports. Those eligible for TAA assistance can be eligible for employment training in another job or career, income support, job search allowances, and relocation services for obtaining jobs outside of their normal commuting area. The proposed legislation provides $710.6 million for TAA, which is $54.6 million more than FY14, and the level recommended by the Senate.\u00a0\r\nIn November, Senators Collins and King sent a letter to leaders on the Senate Appropriations Committee urging for the full funding of this critical program.\r\n\u201cThis program has been especially helpful to Maine workers in key trade-affected industries who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, including individuals in Maine\u2019s lobster, blueberry, and pulp and paper industries.\u00a0 Just this week, the U.S. Department of Labor approved TAA for the more than 500 workers who learned last month that they will lose their jobs when Verso Paper closes its mill in Bucksport, Maine, in December,\u201d the Senators wrote in their November 19 letter.\u00a0 \u201cTAA Assistance will be critical to these workers as they pursue alternative job opportunities.\u201d\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-hails-inclusion-of-white-potatoes-in-wic-program", "King Hails Inclusion of White Potatoes in WIC Program", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Hails Inclusion of White Potatoes in WIC Program\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today praised the successful inclusion of a provision by Senator Susan Collins in the Fiscal Year 2015 federal appropriations bill that will require all fresh fruits and vegetables \u2013 including fresh white potatoes \u2013 be included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.\r\n\u201cWith the enactment of this bill, low-income families will finally have access to yet another healthy and inexpensive food option,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled Senator Collins successfully secured this provision, which will finally fix what has all along been considered a misguided policy based on outdated science.\u201d\r\nThe provision would allow all fresh vegetables, including the fresh white potato, to be included in the WIC program immediately upon enactment of the bill. Fresh white potatoes are currently the only fresh fruit or vegetable excluded from the approved WIC food package.\r\nPotatoes' exclusion from the U.S. Department of Agriculture rule went into effect in December 2009 and is based on recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report, which uses nearly 20-year old consumption data. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, however, recommends five to six cups of these vegetables per week for women with a daily caloric intake of 1,800 to 2,400 calories \u2013 an increase of two to three cups per week from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.\r\nLast year, Senator King co-sponsored an amendment with Senator Collins to the Senate Farm Bill which would have included white potatoes in the WIC program, and in October 2013, Senator King wrote a letter to Senators Debbie Stabenow and Thad Cochran, Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, respectively, outlining several farming and food issues of particular importance to Maine, including that all white potatoes be included in the WIC program.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-praises-senate-progress-towards-relieving-regulatory-burdens-on-maine-fishermen-vessel-operators", "King Praises Senate Progress Towards Relieving Regulatory Burdens on Maine Fishermen, Vessel Operators", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Praises Senate Progress Towards Relieving Regulatory Burdens on Maine Fishermen, Vessel Operators\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the U.S. Senate passed a provision supported by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that averts an impending onerous permitting requirement for Maine fishermen, recreational boaters, and on-water researchers to operate their vessels. The provision was included in legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Coast Guard that passed the Senate today and is expected to pass the House later this week. Specifically, the provision secured for an additional three years the continued exemption for small vessel owners from needing to apply for permits for the incidental discharge of water off their boats.\r\n\u201cThis provision is all about commonsense government. Maine\u2019s fishermen have enough to worry about without having to go to the EPA to get a permit just to do things like wash down their boats at the end of the day,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m pleased the Senate recognized the shortsightedness of these regulations and moved to stave them off for another few years. I will continue to fight alongside my colleagues in the next Congress to see that we permanently fix this issue and give our fishermen and recreational boaters a better sense of certainty.\u201d\r\nIn 1973, when the EPA first implemented the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) pursuant to section 402 of the Clean Water Act, the Agency categorically exempted vessels from the prohibitions and permitting requirements of NPDES.\r\nThis exemption remained in place until 2005, when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal district court ruling that the EPA's 32-year-old regulatory exemption was beyond the Agency's scope of authority under the Clean Water Act. The ruling took away the EPA\u2019s ability to exempt small vessel owners from needing to acquire permits to dispense of water incidental to their normal operation back into the ocean.\r\nThe requirement to get an EPA permit was to take effect on December 19th, 2014, but the provision passed today would reinstate that exemption, fixing an issue which has concerned small vessel operators and the EPA since the 2005 circuit court ruling.\r\nConsequently, incidental discharges by vessels less than 79 feet in length engaged in commercial service, fishing vessels, and recreational vessels, as well as discharges that occur for research, safety, or similar purposes will not be subject to the permitting requirements of NPDES.\r\nThe provision is in line with legislation \u2013 the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act of 2013 \u2013 cosponsored by Senator King that would a establish uniform national standard governing ballast water discharges and permanently fix the incidental discharge permitting issue\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121014", "News December 10", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 10\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nCIA Lied about Ineffective Torture\u00a0A Senate report on Central Intelligence Agency torture of detainees found that the agency lied about brutal tactics which were ineffective in intelligence gathering.\u00a0Sen. Bernie Sanders called it \u201can ugly chapter in American history,\u201d WCAX-TV, WVNY-TV, WFFF-TV, MSNBC online and The\u00a0Washington Examiner reported.\u00a0LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nVermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K Vermont has received $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs in public schools and Head Start agencies. The grant is in addition to $37 million Vermont received last year to lay the foundation for its pre-kindergarten program. Vermont's congressional delegation made the case for the state's application in an Oct. 10 letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, The Associated Press reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nClimate Change\u00a0A group of Senate Democrats is pushing President Barack Obama's administration to toughen rules on carbon pollution from existing power plants,\u00a0The Hill\u00a0and\u00a0KTVZ-TV\u00a0in Bend, Oregon, reported. Sen. Bernie Sanders signed the letter which said the EPA should require more renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment.\u00a0LINK,\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nOlder Americans Act\u00a0Sen. Sanders \u201cstands above all others\u201d as a champion for seniors issues, Bob Blancato of the Elder Justice Coalition wrote in Forbes. Sanders \u201cproduced a strong and bipartisan Older Americans Act reauthorization bill \u2026 but it has stalled,\u201d Blancato wrote LINK\r\nTreasury Nominee\u00a0Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other progressives are challenging the credentials of President Obama's nominee for a top Treasury Department job,\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0reported. Sen. Sanders has also questioned the nomination, Politico reported.\u00a0LINK, LINK\r\nWWII City\u00a0A U.S. Senate bill would designate Wilmington, North Carolina, as the first American World War II City, the Wilmington Star News reported. Sen. Sanders introduced comprehensive legislation with the provision in June.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nNational\r\nDeal Reached on $1.01 Trillion Spending Bill Congressional leaders unveiled a massive $1.01 trillion spending bill Tuesday night that will keep most of the federal government funded through September. The legislation is expected to pass in the coming days and will allow the incoming Republican-controlled Congress to clear the decks of lingering spending issues while setting the stage for a prolonged fight with President Obama over immigration policy. At 1,603 pages, the bill includes at least $1.2 billion for agencies to deal with the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. There\u2019s also money to fight the rise of the Islamic State and $5.4 billion to fight the threat of Ebola. But there are also significant changes to campaign finance laws and potential cuts to retiree pension plans. Democrats were cheering bigger budgets for enforcement at agencies created after the 2008 economic collapse. House leaders are planning to introduce a stopgap bill to give the House and Senate a few more days to pass the final measure and avoid a government shutdown Thursday night, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nSnow Storm Closes Schools The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Wednesday. The warning says there could be snow accumulation of 5 to 10 inches of heavy dense snow falling at up to 1 inch per hour into Wednesday evening. A number of Vermont schools closed Tuesday in anticipation of the heavy snowfall, Vermont Public Radio reported.\u00a0LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-wins-33-million-for-pre-k_delegation-and-governor-announce", "Vermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K,  Delegation and Governor Announce", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Vermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K,  Delegation and Governor Announce\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 10 \u2013 Vermont was awarded $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs at public schools and Head Start agencies throughout the state.\r\nSens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) announced the grant today.\r\nSanders, a member of the Senate education committee, worked with the U.S. Department of Education, the congressional delegation and the Shumlin administration to secure the funding to operate the Pre-K program.\u00a0\r\n\u201cAt a time when working families are struggling to find quality and affordable child care, this grant is a big boost for Vermont,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cThe grant will help Vermont lead the nation in early-childhood education as we better prepare our kids for school and the challenges and opportunities of life.\u201d\r\n\u201cVermont has always understood the importance of early-childhood education and how effective it can be in helping children break the cycle of poverty,\u201d Leahy said.\r\n\u201cThis is great news for Vermont and recognition of the quality of our education system and its leaders,\u201d Welch said.\u00a0\r\n\u201cVermont is one of the top states in America when it comes to early childhood education, and we\u2019re committed to being the best. We know that investments in our youngest children pay huge dividends in their ability to achieve in school and succeed in life,\u201d Shumlin said. \u201cWe will use this $33 million directly to expand access to quality early education for Vermont children most in need.\u00a0 I congratulate those at\u00a0Agencies of Education and Human Services, my own staff, and our many grant partners statewide\u00a0for their hard work in securing these funds for our children,\u201d the governor added.\r\nThe latest award is in addition to $37 million Vermont received last year to lay the foundation for its pre-K program. The earlier federal grant made the state eligible for today\u2019s round of awards to implement the program.\r\nSanders, Leahy and Welch made the case for Vermont\u2019s application in an Oct. 10 letter from the delegation to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. The letter said Vermont has demonstrated a strong and enduring commitment to provide early-education for all 4-year-olds and called the state \u201ca model for other states and federal policymakers that will demonstrate the profound impact and effectiveness universal pre-kindergarten can have on the healthy development and future success of low-income students.\u201d\r\nThe grants to Vermont were announced as President Barack Obama prepared to host a White House meeting today on ways that early-childhood education narrows the achievement gap and boosts children\u2019s earnings later in life.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-filibernie", "The Filibernie", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Filibernie\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 10, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders took to the Senate floor on this day four years ago and didn\u2019t stop speaking for \u00a08 \u00bd hours. Some called it a filibuster. Keith Olberman dubbed it the Filibernie. The speech made the case against a tax deal that had been reached by President Barack Obama with the Republican leadership in Congress to extend Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. \u00a0\u201cIt makes no sense to me to provide huge tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires while we drive up the national debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay,\u201d Sanders said of the deal at the time. Over Sanders\u2019 objection, the tax deal was approved for two more years. Since then, however, Sanders\u2019 view has prevailed and Congress let tax breaks for the top 1 percent of wage earners expire.\r\nWatch Keith Olberman on the Filibernie\r\nWatch the speech", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-releases-additional-views-on-intelligence-committee-report-on-cia-detention-and-interrogation-program", "King Releases Additional Views on Intelligence Committee Report on CIA Detention and Interrogation Program", "2014-12-09", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Releases Additional Views on Intelligence Committee Report on CIA Detention and Interrogation Program\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 9, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Following the declassification of the Findings & Conclusions and Executive Summary of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report regarding the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Detention and Interrogation Program, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement, which he also filed as Additional Views to the report:\r\n\u201cI joined the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in January 2013, approximately four years after President Obama issued an Executive Order to end the detention and interrogation program of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).\u00a0 As such, I was not involved in the inception and initial stages of the committee\u2019s review of the program.\u00a0 After carefully reading the study\u2019s lengthy executive summary, the CIA\u2019s response, and other relevant documents, it is clear to me that some detainees were subjected to techniques that constituted torture.\u00a0 Such brutality is unacceptable, and the misconduct on the part of some of the individuals involved in the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, which is documented in the study, is inexplicable. \u00a0Based upon this review, it appears to me that the enhanced interrogation techniques were not effective in producing the type of unique and reliable information claimed by the agency\u2019s leadership, and should never again be employed by our government.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIn the course of conducting vigorous oversight with respect to this program, it is also important to bear in mind several points.\u00a0 First, in the wake of the September 2001 attacks, our government was inundated with endless leads to track down.\u00a0 There was genuine fear and uncertainty about follow-on strikes, which may explain, but not excuse, the actions that are the subject of this study.\u00a0 Second, we live in a dangerous world with all-to-real enemies and I believe firmly that intelligence is our nation\u2019s first line of defense against terrorism.\u00a0 As such, the CIA and other intelligence agencies are vital to keeping us safe and the disturbing nature of the study\u2019s findings should not be used to undermine our overall intelligence enterprise.\u00a0 Lastly, it should be understood that those responsible for the mismanagement and misconduct associated with the detention and interrogation program are not representative of the many dedicated professionals serving our nation, often in anonymity, at the CIA.\u00a0 Having met with many CIA officers, I have great respect for their intellect, dedication, courage, and sacrifice.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDespite the unquestionable professionalism of the vast majority of CIA personnel, the study demonstrates that the detention and interrogation program was mismanaged, that some within the leadership of the CIA actively impeded congressional oversight, and that agency officials misrepresented the program\u2019s effectiveness.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe study finds that CIA headquarters failed to keep accurate records on those it detained and placed individuals with limited experience in senior detention and interrogation roles.\u00a0 Even after a detainee died of hypothermia at a detention facility in November 2002, many of these practices continued without adequate oversight.\u00a0 In its response to the study, the CIA states that delegating management of this particular facility to a junior officer \u201cwas not a prudent managerial decision given the risks inherent in the program.\u201d\u00a0 It is difficult to imagine a greater understatement of what occurred.\u00a0 More accurately, in the words of one of the CIA\u2019s senior interrogators, the program was \u201ca train wreak [sic] waiting to happen.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOf the many examples of impeding congressional oversight documented in the study, none is more striking than the decision by CIA leaders to destroy videotapes of CIA interrogations out of a concern that Congress might discover evidence of misconduct and brutality.\u00a0 There is no excuse for this decision and those involved should no longer be associated with the CIA or the United States government.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMost significantly, the study finds that the CIA\u2019s justification for the use of enhanced interrogation techniques rested on inaccurate claims of their effectiveness.\u00a0 In its official response to the study, the CIA contradicts many of its previous claims of unqualified effectiveness by arguing that it is now \u201cunknowable\u201d whether the same information could have been acquired without the use of enhanced interrogation techniques and further contends that its past assertions were \u201csincerely believed but inherently speculative.\u201d\u00a0 Yet in the long and unfortunate history of this program, no one in the CIA\u2019s leadership expressed such an equivocal view of the techniques\u2019 effectiveness.\u00a0 What was once certain is now \u201cunknowable;\u201d this migration of rationales underlines for me the magnitude of the prior misrepresentations.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI have to assume that in many cases the representations of effectiveness were believed by the individuals who made them.\u00a0 However, the CIA also admits in its response that it never attempted to develop a \u201cmore sustained, systematic, and independent means by which to evaluate the effectiveness of the approaches used with detainees.\u201d\u00a0 It states further that its reviews of the program\u2019s effectiveness were \u201cheavily reliant on the views of the practitioners\u201d \u2013 including the contract psychologists who designed and executed the techniques.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf such a sustained, systematic, and independent evaluation was impractical, as the CIA now claims, then it follows that the CIA\u2019s assertions about the effectiveness of such techniques were largely guesswork.\u00a0 In the end, policymakers based their decisions about a program so at variance with our past practices and values on anecdotal information, rather than on a verifiable process. \u00a0This, in my opinion, is among the seminal failings of the program and the CIA\u2019s leadership during this period.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFinally, I am deeply disturbed by the implications of the study for the committee\u2019s ability to discharge its oversight responsibility.\u00a0 The core of the oversight function rests in large part upon the interaction of our committee with representatives of the various intelligence agencies, most particularly the CIA.\u00a0 Because it appears from the study that the committee was continuously misled as to virtually all aspects of this program, it naturally raises the extremely troubling question as to whether we can trust the representations of the agency in connection with difficult or sensitive issues in the future.\u00a0 If our principal oversight approach is based on frank and open communication with the CIA\u2019s leadership, and we cannot fully rely upon the answers we receive, then the entire oversight function is compromised.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAs a committee, we should discuss this matter to determine if additional steps may be necessary to ensure that we are getting accurate information.\u00a0 I believe that our solemn responsibility to provide vigilant legislative oversight over the intelligence activities of the United States requires serious consideration of this problem.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI agree with my colleagues in the minority who note that the Department of Justice\u2019s decision to begin a criminal investigation in 2009 prevented the committee from conducting most interviews and required the study to rely mainly on documents provided by the CIA.\u00a0 I am also disappointed that the study could not utilize the expertise of the minority through a joint review, as has been the committee\u2019s practice.\u00a0 While I believe the study is accurate, this is a fundamental lesson that will inform my approach to the committee\u2019s work in the years ahead.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIn conclusion, upon joining the committee in 2013 I endeavored to undertake a thorough review of the study, the CIA\u2019s response, and other relevant documentation.\u00a0 I also discussed this matter with Democrats and Republicans on the committee, the staff members involved in writing the study and the minority staff, the CIA personnel who drafted the agency\u2019s response, a former senior military interrogator, current CIA officers bravely serving our nation in harm\u2019s way, a former top FBI official, and numerous Maine people \u2013 including human rights experts and leaders of the religious community.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBased on this review, I voted to approve declassification of the study because I believe our nation\u2019s reputation as a beacon of openness, democratic values, human rights, and adherence to the rule of law is at stake.\u00a0 Our credibility \u2013 and ultimately our influence \u2013 in the world is dependent upon this reputation, and it is our obligation to admit when we fail to meet America\u2019s high standards.\u00a0 I believe we can protect intelligence sources and methods and still declassify a significant portion of the study to accomplish this goal.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAs then Secretary of State Colin Powell said in 2004, following the scandals at Abu Ghraib prison,\r\n\u2018Watch America.\u00a0 Watch how we deal with this.\u00a0 Watch how America will do the right thing.\u00a0 Watch what a nation of values and character, a nation that believes in justice, does to right this kind of wrong.\u00a0 Watch how a nation such as ours will not tolerate such actions.\u2019\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIn the last analysis, America\u2019s real power is based upon our values and how we put those values into practice.\u00a0 As with any individual \u2013 or great nation \u2013 we will occasionally stumble, but when we do, we acknowledge our failings \u2013 as we have in this case \u2013 and move on, true to ourselves and to the better angels of our nature.\u201d\r\nOn April 4, 2014, Senator King voted in favor of declassifying the Findings & Conclusions and Executive Summary of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report regarding the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Detention and Interrogation Program.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120914", "News December 9", "2014-12-09", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 9\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 9, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nThe Middle Class\u00a0Americans are \"a lot better off today than six years ago when George W. Bush left office,\" Sen. Bernie Sanders told\u00a0The Ed Schultz Show, but more aggressive action is needed to create jobs and lift wages, the senator added in a radio interview that aired on Monday. AUDIO\u00a0\r\nAn American Agenda Sen. Sanders has laid out a 12-point economic plan for jobs, pay equity and a living wage. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to talk about the problems, and it\u2019s important we do that, but it\u2019s another thing to come up with an agenda that rebuilds the middle class,\" Sanders said Monday on\u00a0The Leslie Marshall Show.\u00a0\u00a0AUDIO\r\nTreasury Nominee\u00a0Progressive groups are emailing supporters, calling on them to oppose President Barack Obama's nomination of Wall Street banker Antonio Weiss for the top spot at the Treasury Department,\u00a0The Hill\u00a0reported. Sens. Sanders, Dick Durbin and Elizabeth Warren have aired concerns about the pick.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\n350.org\u00a0Bill McKibben, one of America\u2019s highest profile climate activists, is stepping down as the board chairman of 350.org, the environmental organization he co-founded, the\u00a0Addison County Independent\u00a0reported. McKibben has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Canadian tar sands pipeline, which Sen. Sanders voted against.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWorld\r\nClimate Conference In a sign of the importance that the Obama administration has placed on the outcome of United Nations climate change negotiations taking place this week, Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive on Thursday in Lima, Peru, to strongly urge negotiators to reach a deal, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nCombat Command Ends in Afghanistan\u00a0American and NATO troops closed their operational command in Afghanistan on Monday, lowering flags in a ceremony to mark the formal end of their combat mission in a country still mired in war 13 years after the U.S.-led invasion,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nTorture Report On the eve of a long-awaited Senate report on the use of torture by the United States government \u2014 a detailed account that will shed an unsparing light on the Central Intelligence Agency\u2019s darkest practices after the September 2001 terrorist attacks \u2014 the Obama administration and its Republican critics clashed on Monday over the wisdom of making it public, and the risk that it will set off a backlash overseas. While the United States has put diplomatic facilities and military bases on alert for heightened security risks, administration officials said they do not expect the declassified executive summary that will be released Tuesday to ignite violence, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nSpending Bill Hits Snag Plans to quickly approve a $1.1 trillion spending package to keep most of the federal government open through the end of the fiscal year fell apart late Monday, increasing the chance lawmakers will miss a Thursday deadline. Just in case, top appropriators said Monday that they were ready to pass a short-term extension of a few days in order to give the House and Senate more time to pass the final bill and end the least productive congressional session in modern history, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nSurgeon General Senate Democrats are trying to confirm before year\u2019s end President Obama\u2019s surgeon general nominee. Vivek Murthy is the highest-profile of the few dozen nominees who could come up for a vote in the chamber if Senate Democrats and Republicans reach a procedural agreement this week. Even in the absence of a deal, Senate leaders might take steps to set up a separate vote on Dr. Murthy\u2019s nomination, a Senate aide told The Wall Street Journal. LINK\r\nDOJ Bans Racial Profiling Attorney General\u00a0Eric Holder on Monday announced new guidelines against racial profiling by federal law-enforcement agents, though they won\u2019t affect local police or screening at borders and airports \u2014areas where civil liberties groups say the greatest problems exist,\u00a0The Wall Street Journal\u00a0said.\u00a0LINK\r\nBillionaires Seek to Anoint Candidate\u00a0Dozens of wealthy Republican donors and fund-raisers have begun discussing how to clear the field for a single establishment candidate in 2016,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0LINK\r\nOil Prices at 5-year Low The price of crude oil continued to collapse on Monday, plunging to a five-year low, as oil giants began to scale back their drilling ambitions and pare the ranks of their workers. On the same day that the American oil benchmark traded around $63 a barrel, down more than 4 percent, ConocoPhillips announced it would cut investment spending in 2015 by 20 percent, the biggest sign yet that major oil companies are contracting, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nDefense Contractor Fraud The former supplier of food and beverages to U.S. troops in Afghanistan agreed to pay $389 million in fines and damages after admitting it overcharged the Pentagon for fresh food and bottled water, one of the largest penalties ever imposed on a defense supplier. Supreme Group BV pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to its handling of an $8.8 billion supply contract that was extended twice before the company lost the business in 2013 The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nRevenue Shortfall Vermont state revenues once again performed short of expectations in November,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0For the first five months of the fiscal year, general fund revenues have fallen more than $18.6 million below target \u2014 about 3.5 percent less than projected.\u00a0LINK\r\nSingle Payer Funding Single payer advocates called a news conference Monday to decry what may or may not be some or all of a plan that Gov. Peter Shumlin has said will be released by the end of the month. The conference came after a VTDigger story last week, citing unnamed sources and with no official response from Gov. Peter Shumlin or his administration, said that in Shumlin\u2019s latest proposal to fund single payer, \u201cemployer-funded payroll tax was pegged at 8 percent.\u201d The Health Care Is a Human Right campaign called for an \u201cequitable\u201d funding system supported by a progressive tax, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK\r\nStatehouse \u201914 The second-place finisher in last month's election for governor announced Monday that he is staying in the race, bucking recent history of the losing candidate conceding and leaving the final say up to the state Legislature. Speaking at the Statehouse, Republican Scott Milne criticized what he called the \"pervasive incompetence\" of Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin's administration and described the state's finances as \"a disaster, AP reported.\r\nFairPoint Strike As the strike by FairPoint\u2019s unionized employees nears the two month mark, there\u2019s still no sign of progress toward an agreement between the company and workers. In deciding to strike, the unions felt they had no choice, but it\u2019s an option that has become rare and not nearly as effective as in the past, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-cia-report", "Sanders Statement on CIA Report", "2014-12-09", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Statement on CIA Report\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 9, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 9 \u2013 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today issued the following statement on a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation which found that the Central Intelligence Agency misled the White House and Congress about the brutal interrogation of terrorism suspects: \u00a0\r\n\u201cA great nation must be prepared to acknowledge its errors. This report details an ugly chapter in American history during which our leaders and the intelligence community dishonored our nation\u2019s proud traditions. Of course we must aggressively pursue international terrorists who would do us harm, but we must do so in a way that is consistent with the basic respect for human rights which makes us proud to be Americans.\r\n\u201cThe United States must not engage in torture. If we do, in an increasingly brutal world we lose our moral standing to condemn other nations or groups that engage in uncivilized behavior.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/cia-brutality-dishonesty-detailed-in-senate-report", "CIA Brutality, Dishonesty Detailed in Senate Report", "2014-12-09", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "CIA Brutality, Dishonesty Detailed in Senate Report\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 9, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tA Senate Intelligence Committee investigation found that the Central Intelligence Agency misled the White House and Congress about the brutal interrogation of terrorism suspects. \u00a0\u201cA great nation must be prepared to acknowledge its errors. This report details an ugly chapter in American history during which our leaders and the intelligence community dishonored our nation\u2019s proud traditions,\u201d said Sen. Bernie Sanders. \u201cOf course we must aggressively pursue international terrorists who would do us harm, but we must do so in a way that is consistent with the basic respect for human rights which makes us proud to be Americans.\r\n\u201cThe United States must not engage in torture. If we do, in an increasingly brutal world, we lose our moral standing to condemn other nations or groups that engage in uncivilized behavior,\u201d the senator added.\r\nRead the report", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-honor-military-service-members-at-us-capitol-wreath-laying-", "Collins, King Honor Military Service-Members at U.S. Capitol Wreath Laying", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, King Honor Military Service-Members at U.S. Capitol Wreath Laying \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the foot of the U.S. Capitol in honor of America\u2019s military service members and their families who are separated during the holiday season. The event was led by the Maine State Society in conjunction with Wreaths Across America and the wreath will remain on display throughout the holidays. Both Senators delivered brief remarks during the ceremony.\r\n\u201cSince its inception 23 years ago, the Wreaths Across America project has become an annual tradition of placing Maine balsam fir remembrance wreaths on the graves of our fallen heroes,\u201d said Senator Collins. \u201cWreaths Across America honors our departed heroes, but it does even more. It tells the Veterans still with us that we honor their service. It tells our men and women in uniform today that we are grateful for their courage and devotion to duty. It tells the families of those serving our country that they are in our thoughts and prayers. And it tells the families of the fallen that we share their grief.\u201d\r\n\u201cI was honored and delighted to share in this moment and reflect on the service and sacrifice of our nation\u2019s veterans, our active duty service-members, and of course, their families,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cThis weekend, thanks to Wreaths Across America, more than 230,000 wreaths will be laid at Arlington National Cemetery in memory of our fallen heroes. Not only is that a tremendous tribute to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but it\u2019s also an amazing accomplishment that should make Maine and the nation proud.\u201d\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-commemorates-73rd-anniversary-of-attack-on-pearl-harbor", "King Commemorates 73rd Anniversary of Attack on Pearl Harbor", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Commemorates 73rd Anniversary of Attack on Pearl Harbor\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPORTLAND, ME \u2013 Today, on the 73rd anniversary of the attack at Pearl Harbor, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined with AMVETS Department of Maine at Fort Allen Park on Portland\u2019s Eastern Promenade to remember the more than 2,400 American service-members and civilians who lost their lives as well as those who survived.\r\n\u201cToday, we pause to remember and reflect on the service and sacrifice of the more than 2,400 souls who perished on that fateful day 73 years ago,\u201d said Senator King. \u201cWe join with their families in mourning their loss and celebrating their lives, and we pay tribute to those who survived that defining moment in American history and who went forward to fight for and preserve the freedom that we cherish today. Through this recognition, let us recommit ourselves to the ideals for which they so nobly fought and let us stand beside them and every man and woman who wears the uniform in service to our nation.\u201d\r\nAlso attending the ceremony was Jim Watson of South Portland, a Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor. Watson was on USS Phoenix when Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 7th, 1941.\r\nAMVETS Department of Maine have organized the annual Pearl Harbor Day remembrance service in Portland for 47 years.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/global-warming-to-make-european-heat-waves-commonplace-by-2040s-study-finds", "Global Warming to Make European Heat Waves Commonplace by 2040s, Study Finds", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Global Warming to Make European Heat Waves \u2018Commonplace\u2019 by 2040s, Study Finds\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By:\u00a0 David Jolly \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tPARIS \u2014 In June 2003, a high-pressure weather system took hold over Western Europe and hovered there for weeks, bringing warm tropical air to the region and making that summer\u00a0the hottest\u00a0since at least 1540, the year King Henry VIII discarded his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.\r\nTemperatures were about 2.3 degrees Celsius, or 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, above average that summer, contributing to perhaps 70,000\u00a0additional deaths\u00a0and hitting the elderly particularly hard. The heat was a\u00a0factorin the outbreak of forest fires and in lower than usual crop yields. It caused Alpine glaciers to shrink at a rate double that seen in the previous record summer five years earlier.\r\nNow, three scientists from the Met Office, the British weather agency, have concluded that human-caused\u00a0global warming\u00a0is going to make European summer heat waves \u201ccommonplace\u201d by the 2040s.\r\n\r\nTheir findings,\u00a0published\u00a0on Monday in the online journal Nature Climate Change, suggest that once every five years, Europe is likely to experience \u201ca very hot summer,\u201d in which temperatures are about 1.6 degrees Celsius, or 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, above the 1961-90 average. This is up from a probability, just a decade ago, that such events would occur only once every 52 years, a 10-fold increase.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/the-kochs-eclipse-the-rnc", "The Kochs eclipse the RNC", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Kochs eclipse the RNC\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By:\u00a0 Mike Allen and Kenneth Vogel \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Koch brothers and their allies are pumping tens of millions of dollars into a data company that\u2019s developing detailed, state-of-the-art profiles of 250 million Americans, giving the brothers\u2019 political operation all the earmarks of a national party.\r\nThe move comes as mainstream Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, are trying to reclaim control of the conservative movement from outside groups. The Kochs, however, are continuing to amass all of the campaign tools the Republican National Committee and other party arms use to elect a president.\r\nThe Koch network also has developed in-house expertise in polling, message-testing, fact-checking, advertising, media buying, dial groups and donor maintenance. Add mastery of election law, a corporate-minded aggressiveness and years of patient experimentation \u2014 plus seemingly limitless cash \u2014 and the Koch operation actually exceeds the RNC\u2019s data operation in many important respects.\r\n\u201cThe Koch operations are the most important nonparty political players in the U.S. today, and no one else is even close,\u201d said a top Republican who has been involved in the last eight presidential campaigns.\r\nRead more here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120814", "News December 8", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 8\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nPrimary Care Cliff Primary care programs serving 22 million poor Americans expire at the end of this fiscal year unless Congress finds more funding. But keeping the programs alive could be a tough sell amid a political climate still sour on President Obama's signature health law. \"It will precipitate a huge crisis in primary care,\" said Sen. Bernard Sanders. He has written legislation to keep the funding going, but said no Republicans have signed onto his bill to direct nearly $30 billion to the programs over the next five years. \"It's an expensive proposition,\" he told The Washington Times. LINK\r\nHoliday Dinner Area families enjoyed dinner Sunday at the 34th annual Tony Pomerleau Holiday Party at the Hilton in Burlington. Sen. Bernie Sanders started the party for families in need when he was mayor of Burlington, WCAX-TV, WVNY-TV and WFFDF-TV reported. Hundreds of adults and children attended this year\u2019s event at the Burlington Hilton, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nHoliday Dinner Sen.\u00a0Sanders\u00a0will host a free holiday dinner for seniors this Friday in Bennington. It\u2019s of several holiday dinners throughout Vermont he holds to hear seniors\u2019 concerns and to provide Vermonters with an update from Washington. The free turkey dinner will be catered by Bennington County Meals on Wheels and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church.\u00a0Students from Mount Anthony Union High School will perform holiday music during the event, the Bennington Banner reported. LINK\r\nWorld\r\n1,000 Extra U.S. Soldiers Will Remain in Afghanistan\u00a0 The United States military will keep as many as 1,000 extra troops in Afghanistan through early next year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday, a response to a slower-than-expected force commitment from NATO allies. The revelation came during a trip to Afghanistan by Hagel, who made a point of saying the additional soldiers were not a response to several months of intense Taliban violence, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nTorture Report The Senate Intelligence Committee may release a report this week that amounts to the first public accounting of the CIA's use of torture on al Qaeda detainees held in secret facilities in Europe and Asia in the years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. officials who have read the report say it includes disturbing new details about the CIA's use of such techniques as sleep deprivation, confinement in small spaces, humiliation and the simulated drowning process known as waterboarding, CBS News reported. Foreign governments and U.S. intelligence agencies are predicting that the release of a Senate report will cause \"violence and deaths\" abroad, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday. LINK\r\nNational\r\nHouse-Senate Near Spending Deal House-Senate negotiators neared agreement Sunday on the last pieces of a $1.1 trillion spending bill designed to avert any shutdown this week and put most government agencies on firm footing through next September. Building on a long weekend of talks, the goal was to file the giant measure by late Monday and then push for quick floor action before the current funding runs out Thursday night, Politico reported. LINK\r\nFossil-fuel Lobbyists Oil, gas and coal interests that spent millions to help elect Republicans this year are moving to take advantage of expanded GOP power in Washington and state capitals to thwart Obama administration environmental rules. Industry lobbyists made their pitch in private meetings last week with dozens of state legislators at a summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council, an industry-financed conservative state policy group, according to The Washington Post. LINK\r\nThe Kochs Eclipse the RNC The Koch brothers and their allies are pumping tens of millions of dollars into a data company that\u2019s developing detailed, state-of-the-art profiles of 250 million Americans, giving the brothers\u2019 political operation all the earmarks of a national party. The move comes as mainstream Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, are trying to reclaim control of the conservative movement from outside groups. The Kochs, however, are continuing to amass all of the campaign tools the Republican National Committee and other party arms use to elect a president. The Koch network also has developed in-house expertise in polling, message-testing, fact-checking, advertising, media buying, dial groups and donor maintenance, Politico reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nSlow Spending The Shumlin administration is moving to \u201cslow spending\u201d rather than make unilateral budget cuts without legislative approval as officials look to address a budget gap caused by poor state revenues. Administration officials, including Gov. Peter Shumlin, initially said last month they were planning to make $6.7 million in budget cuts immediately as part of a $17 million budget rescission. They argued they had the statutory authority, backed up by an opinion from Attorney General William Sorrell, to make cuts up to 1 percent of the budget. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/koch-brothers-surpass-rnc", "Koch Brothers Surpass RNC", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Koch Brothers Surpass RNC\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAccording to Politico the Koch Brothers, the right-wing multi-billionaire family, has surpassed the Republican Party in developing a political data base with information on 250 million Americans. Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to the news by asking, \u201cAre we living in a democracy when billionaires can significantly control the political process?\u00a0 We must overturn Citizens United and pass public funding of elections.\u201d Three years go on Monday Sanders introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court\u2019s Citizens United decision.\r\nRead the article here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/nobody-goes-on-vacation-anymore", "Nobody Goes on Vacation Anymore", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u2018Nobody Goes on Vacation Anymore\u2019\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 8, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tLike tens of thousands of Vermonters, Christine Campbell, 44, of Winooski, works more than one job. She works as a full-time manager at a retail sports store in Essex, but out of economic necessity she has carved out another 30 to 40 hours each month to dedicate to her second job: decorating window displays for local merchants.\r\nOn a recent Friday, Christine was removing baseball pennants that declared Boston as the 2013 World Series Champions from a window display in the Burlington Town Center mall and replacing them with football memorabilia.\u00a0 Her freelance \u201cvisual display\u201d business creates an essential second stream of revenue. Without the money from her second job, she said, things would be tight.\r\n\u201cI would be able to pay my bills \u2013 and that would be it. I would not be able to enjoy my life,\u201d she said.\r\nThe Vermont Department of Labor, citing 2012 data, estimates that, in these rough economic times, about 30,000 Vermonters work more than one job to cover their expenses.\r\nChristine keeps current with her credit card debt and has no school loans.\u00a0 She notes, however, that she has many friends who have been struggling since the recession hit in 2008. \u201cThey do a lot of pasta nights. They don\u2019t have a lot of money,\u201d she said. \u201cGoing on vacation is nice, but nobody goes on vacation anymore.\u201d\r\nChristine\u2019s second job, which she has had for the last six years, creates some extra money for the occasional movie and dinner with a friend. Her earnings also help, slowly, \u00a0replenish her retirement savings that she had to deplete when her husband lost his job.\r\n Raiding Retirement Funds \r\nWhen her husband was out of work, Christine was forced to raid her retirement fund to make sure the bills were paid. \u201cThe money had to come from some place,\u201d she said.\r\nChristine is not alone. In the years that followed the most severe recession to hit the United States in generations, many people in Vermont and throughout the U.S. had little choice but to deplete the savings that they had worked hard to put aside for their retirement.\r\n\u201cThree-quarters of Americans said they're finding it difficult to both save for retirement and handle their day-to-day expenses,\u201d according to\u00a0a CBS News report.\u00a0 The reasons: low earnings, high living costs and unplanned expenses. According to the report: on average, each American has saved about $58,000 for retirement.\u00a0 For those with less than $250,000 in assets, the average retirement account amounts to only $29,358\r\nWith her savings sapped, she is worried about how she is going to pay for her own expenses in the years ahead.\u00a0 She knows she will receive Social Security, but isn\u2019t sure how far that will go to cover expenses.\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate, I will probably be working until I can\u2019t work anymore,\u201d she said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120714", "News December 7", "2014-12-07", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 7\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 7, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nAmerican Agenda Sen. Bernie Sanders detailed a 12-point economic agenda to rebuild America\u2019s middle class by creating jobs and raising wages. \u201cThe question of our time is whether we take on the billionaire class or whether we continue to slide into oligarchy,\u201d he said in Senate speech covered in a report on MSNBC. \u201cIf the president remains strong and we rally the American people, we can implement some important policies,\u201d Sanders said in the interview broadcast on Sunday. VIDEO\r\nCitizens United A tidal wave of money made the 2014 federal midterm elections the costliest in history. The money paid for negative ads that created close to universal disgust and caused the lowest turnout since 1942. U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who represents the Iowa Quad-Cities, supports a constitutional amendment by Sen. Sanders to require stronger disclosure of contributions and expenditures, the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, reported. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nSix Guantanamo Detainees Sent to Uruguay Six detainees were finally transferred to Uruguay over the weekend. The Pentagon announced the transfer on Sunday. The transfers are part of a move by President Barack Obama to close the U.S. military detention facility in Cuba, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nSenate \u201914 Republicans picked up a ninth Senate seat Saturday when Rep. Bill Cassidy defeated Sen. Mary Landrieu in a runoff election in Louisiana. Landrieu\u2019s loss means there will be no Democratic senators from the Deep South when the new Congress is sworn in early next year. Republican gains in the House mean they will start the next Congress with the largest majority since World War II, The Washington Post reported. LINK\u00a0\r\nOil Giants, State AGs Fight Obama Republican attorneys general have formed an unprecedented, secretive alliance with some of the nation\u2019s top energy producers to push back against the Obama regulatory agenda, an investigation by The New York Times has found. Attorneys general in at least a dozen states are working with energy companies and other corporate interests, which in turn are providing them with record amounts of money for their political campaigns, including at least $16 million this year. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nDairy Farms About 500 of the state's 874 registered dairy farms have enrolled in a new price protection program as of Friday afternoon. Federal and state officials are urging the remainder to take advantage of an extended deadline to sign up, VPR reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/american-agenda", "American Agenda", "2014-12-07", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "American Agenda\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 7, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders detailed a 12-point economic agenda to rebuild America\u2019s middle class by creating jobs and raising wages. \u201cThe question of our time is whether we take on the billionaire class or whether we continue to slide into oligarchy,\u201d he said in Senate speech. Looking ahead to the new session of Congress that begins in January, Sanders was guardedly optimistic. \u201cIf the president remains strong and we rally the American people, we can implement some important policies,\u201d he said in the interview broadcast on Sunday.\u00a0WATCH", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120614", "News December 6", "2014-12-06", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 6\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 6, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nClimate Summit\u00a0The University of Vermont and Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday hosted a youth summit on climate change. Small teams of high school students laid out climate action plans for their high schools,\u00a0WCAX-TV, WVNY-TV and WPTZ-TV reported. Sanders told students that action must be taken to slow climate change,\u00a0Vermont Public Radio\u00a0reported.\u00a0VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, LINK\u00a0\r\nAgenda for America\u00a0Sen. Sanders on\u00a0The Thom Hartmann Program\u00a0proposed a 12-point economic agenda to create jobs, raise wages and reform the nation's broken financial system.\u00a0 Sanders told\u00a0HuffPost Live\u00a0that his agenda is \u201csupported \u2026 by the vast majority of the American people.\" VIDEO,\u00a0VIDEO, LINK\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nTaxes The House rushed through a last-minute measure Wednesday to extend a massive package of expired tax breaks for banks, investment firms, commuters and NASCAR track owners. The bill would enable millions of businesses and individuals to claim the tax breaks on their 2014 returns. It would add nearly $42 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade. It's unclear when the bill will come before the Senate, but Sanders is not a fan. He told WCAX-TV that 65 percent of the credits go to businesses but credits for low-income families were not extended by the bill. LINK\r\nMedical Mistakes\u00a0Medical mistakes are responsible for millions of injuries and hundreds of thousands of deaths each year in America,\u00a0WBUR-FM\u00a0reported. Patient Safety America estimated that 440,000 Americans die each year from such mistakes, making medical errors the nation's third-leading cause of death, Sen. Sanders noted at a summer hearing on the issue.\u00a0LINK\r\nRx Prices \u201cCongress is right to demand answers from drug companies given what has happened to the price of many generic drugs\u201d according to an editorial in The Joplin (Missouri) Globe. It said Sen. Sanders and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings sent letters to the makers of 10 generic drugs that have seen price increases of over 300 percent or more in recent months. LINK\u00a0\r\nCollege Education PolitiFact\u00a0rated Sen. Sanders' statement that the United States has fallen from 1st to 12th internationally in rankings for number of young people with college degrees \"mostly true.\"\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nIran\u00a0Sens. Sanders and Elizabeth Warren \"are not yet counted among the Senate Democrats now standing up for diplomacy\" in Iran, Robert Naiman wrote for\u00a0The Huffington Post.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWorld\u00a0\r\nAmerican Hostage In Yemen Killed In Failed Rescue Attempt An American journalist held captive by militants from al-Qaida's branch in Yemen for more than a year was killed in a failed U.S. rescue attempt. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel confirmed Somers' death and said the U.S. had launched the rescue attempt because it had compelling reasons to believe that the American's life was in danger, NPR reported. LINK\r\nChina Arrests Ex-Security Chief\u00a0Zhou Yongkang, the once-feared head of\u00a0China\u2019s domestic security, has been expelled from the Communist Party and arrested,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0The move indicated that Mr. Zhou, once widely seen as invulnerable, was being held up by the party to show that top officials were not immune from punishment under President\u00a0Xi Jinping.\u00a0LINK\u00a0\r\nNational\r\nMore Jobs and Higher Wages\u00a0The Labor Department reported Friday that employers added 321,000 jobs in November \u2014 a much stronger number than expected \u2014 but perhaps even more significant was the biggest gain in average hourly earnings since June 2013,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nObama Nominates Head of Defense\u00a0President Obama on Friday announced his selection of Ashton B. Carter to lead the Pentagon, embracing a physicist and national security centrist who may advocate a stronger use of American power,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0\u00a0LINK\r\nSuccessful NASA Flight\u00a0NASA's new Orion spacecraft made a \"bull's-eye\" Pacific splashdown Friday following a dramatic journey 3,604 miles beyond Earth. The achievement opens a new era of human exploration aimed at putting people on Mars.\u00a0The unmanned, 4\u00bd-hour test flight set at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nVermont\u00a0\r\nFairPoint\u00a0Striking FairPoint workers say they have received a letter urging them to return to work next week,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u00a0Ken Tremetozee, union president of CWA Local 1400,\u00a0called the letter insulting and said the workers would not return to the job on Monday.\u00a0LINK\r\nRural Housing Grants\u00a0Four Vermont organizations are sharing a total of $250,000 in federal grants to help rural families repair and rehabilitate their homes, according to\u00a0The Associated Press.\u00a0\u00a0LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/educate-maine-recognizes-king-for-leadership-in-education", "Educate Maine Recognizes King for Leadership in Education", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Educate Maine Recognizes King for Leadership in Education\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 5, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPORTLAND, ME \u2013 Today, Educate Maine presented U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) with its Weston L. Bonney Education Leadership Award during the 3rd annual \u201cPipeline to Prosperity\u201d Symposium and 17th annual Education Leadership Luncheon. The award, named in honor of former Maine State Board of Education member and business leader Weston Bonney, recognizes those who have demonstrated \u201ccommitment, vision and courage in support of Maine students.\u201d\r\n\u201cEnsuring that every generation has access to a quality, affordable education should be one of our highest priorities in this country,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cAn investment in education is an investment in our children and their future, which will put us on a path to long-term economic prosperity by empowering them with the tools and skills needed to compete in the global marketplace. I am grateful for this recognition and pledge to continue to fight alongside organizations like Educate Maine that are committed to helping advance the interests of America\u2019s students.\u201d\r\nSenator King has been actively engaged in education issues as a member of Congress. In August of 2013, he played a leading role in organizing a bipartisan group of senators to craft the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, legislation that overwhelmingly passed the Senate and House and successfully prevented student loan interest rates from doubling. Senator King, along with Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), has recently led the charge in trying to simplify the student loan repayment system, introducing the Repay Act which would make loan repayment more affordable for the middle class by eliminating duplicative repayment options, streamlining eligibility terms, and ensuring that borrowers who enroll in income-based repayment will never direct more than 15 percent of their discretionary income to their loan payments.\r\nEducate Maine is a business-led organization driven by the belief that education is the key to individual advancement, an engaged citizenry, and sustainable economic growth. The group strives to help prepare Maine students for college and career life, while increasing access to high quality educational opportunities. Educate Maine was created in 2011 when the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education and the Maine Compact for Higher Education merged.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-statement-on-defense-secretary-nomination", "King Statement on Defense Secretary Nomination", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "King Statement on Defense Secretary Nomination\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 5, 2014\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPORTLAND, ME \u2013 U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today in response to the President\u2019s nomination of Ashton Carter to replace Chuck Hagel as U.S. Secretary of Defense:\r\n\u201cI applaud the President for moving quickly to fill this crucial position, particularly at such an important time when bold leadership from the United States is necessary to help confront many of the growing threats across the globe,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cDuring my time in office, I have both met and worked with Ash Carter, and I am impressed with his experience, intellect, and capability. I also know he is well-respected by the military, by his colleagues inside and outside of the Pentagon, and by Members of Congress. I look forward to meeting with him again soon and hearing his testimony during his confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee about how he proposes to lead the Department of Defense.\u201d\r\nAshton Carter served as the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013, and Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics from 2009-2011.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120514", "News December 5", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 5\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 5, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nClimate Change Youth Summit The University of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are holding a youth summit on climate change. More than 150 high school students from around Vermont were expected to attend the event on Friday. They will work in small teams to come up with climate action plans for their high schools, The Associated Press and WPTZ-TV reported. LINK, VIDEO\r\nMinimum Wage Workers Fast-food workers and others in low-paying jobs on Thursday launched one-day strikes across the United States demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage and union rights. Organizers said workers at major chains like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell walked off their jobs in more than 190 cities. Sen. Sanders spoke to protesters outside the Air and Space Museum in Washington, according to Yahoo News. LINK\r\nDrug Price Gouging\u00a0A Senate hearing this week chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders investigated the staggering cost of speciality drugs to treat the deadly hepatitis C virus \u2014 around $1,000 per pill for one drug, Sovaldi. Sen. Sanders is hoping to bring down the cost of the drug, which is commonly used by the Department of Veterans Affairs,\u00a0The Fiscal Times\u00a0reported. \u201cWe cannot leave VA providers in the position where they are forced to choose which veterans get treated... and which do not because of cost,\u201d Sanders said. LINK \u00a0\r\nSave the Postal Service\u00a0A group of senators is trying to prevent the Postal Service from closing down dozens of mail processing facilities to cut costs. In a series of Senate speeches on Thursday, Sen. Sanders joined Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who noted that there are \"a lot of people in Congress who would like to see the Postal Service go out of business,\u201d The Hill\u00a0reported LINK\u00a0\u00a0\r\nWall Street Nominee\u00a0William D. Cohan of\u00a0The New York Times criticized Sen. Elizabeth Warren for making \"political hay\" out of her opposition to Wall Street and a nominee for a Treasury Department post. Sens. Sanders and Dick also opposed the nominee, Mother Jones noted.\u00a0LINK, LINK\r\nSeniors Holiday Dinner Sen. Sanders\u00a0will host a free holiday dinner for seniors next Friday in Bennington, Vermont. Sanders\u00a0will hear seniors\u2019 concerns and provide Vermonters with an\u00a0update from Washington. The free turkey dinner will be catered by Bennington County Meals on Wheels and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, the Bennington Banner reported. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nAl Qaeda Threatens American Hostage\u00a0Al Qaeda\u2019s branch in Yemen has threatened to kill an American hostage by the end of the week unless its demands are met,\u00a0The Wall Street Journal\u00a0reported.\u00a0Although the demands of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are unknown, they frequently insist on hefty ransoms in exchange for the release of both western and local hostages. The price for western hostages usually reaches several million dollars.\u00a0LINK\r\nCanada Approves Burger King Deal\u00a0The Canadian government has approved Burger King\u2019s purchase of\u00a0Tim Hortons on condition it maintains employment levels and list the company in Toronto,\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nNational\r\nCleveland Police Cited for Abuse by Justice Department The Justice Department announced on Thursday that a nearly two-year civil rights investigation into the Cleveland Police Department had found a pattern of \u201cunreasonable and unnecessary use of force\u201d that resulted in dangerous and reckless behavior by officers, pointing out the kinds of problems that have angered black residents here and touched off demonstrations across the country in recent weeks, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nMilitary Sexual-Assault Reports Rise Rapes and sexual assaults reported by military service members increased 8 percent in 2014, according to a report released Thursday by the Pentagon that immediately reinvigorated the national debate over the military\u2019s handling of sexual assault. Service members reported nearly 6,000 sexual assaults in 2014, up from about 5,500 in 2013 and 3,600 in 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK\r\nHouse Approves Defense Bill\u00a0The House on Thursday passed a $585 billion defense bill that will further expand U.S. efforts to combat Islamic militants in the Middle East,\u00a0NBC News\u00a0reported.\u00a0The legislation grants, which passed 300-119, President Barack Obama's request for funding to fight militants who have taken over parts of Iraq and Syria and authorizes training and equipping moderate Syrian rebels. It also continues to prohibit transferring prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States.\u00a0LINK\r\nLGBT Advocates Seek Civil RIghts Bill\u00a0As barriers to\u00a0same-sex marriage\u00a0fall across the country, gay rights advocates are planning their next battle on Capitol Hill: a push for sweeping legislation to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination, similar to the landmark\u00a0Civil Rights Act\u00a0that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed in 1964,\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported.\u00a0LINK\r\nHouse Condemns Obama Immigration Action\u00a0Emboldened House Republicans issued a stern but symbolic rebuke to President Barack Obama over immigration Thursday, passing a bill declaring his executive actions to curb deportations \"null and void and without legal effect,\"\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0said.\u00a0LINK\r\nVermont\r\nFairPoint Investigation\u00a0The Vermont Public Service Board is going to be investigating the service provided by the telecommunications company FairPoint Communications,\u00a0The Associated Press\u00a0reported. Earlier this week officials with the Department of Public Service filed a petition with the utility-regulating Public Service Board requesting the investigation.\u00a0LINK\r\nDairy Program Deadline Extended\u00a0The deadline for Vermont dairy farmers to enroll in a new price protection program has been extended to Dec. 19, according to\u00a0The Associated Press.\u00a0LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-and-uvm-host-youth-climate-summit", "Sanders and UVM Host Youth Climate Summit", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders and UVM Host Youth Climate Summit\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 5, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 5 \u2013 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the University of Vermont held a Youth Climate Summit today.\r\nMore than 150 Vermont high school students and dozens of teachers from 26 high schools throughout the state worked in small teams to create climate action plans for their high schools.\u00a0\r\n\u201cGlobal warming is the planetary crisis of our time,\u201d Sanders told the students. \u201cThe scientific community is telling us that we have a narrow window of opportunity to address the crisis of climate change and to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy,\u201d added the senator, a member of both the Senate energy and environment committees.\r\nThe high school students took part in workshops organized by 65 UVM undergraduates who had studied ecological economics. Organizing the climate summit for young Vermonters was one of the goals of the college course that also focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy development and greenhouse gas auditing.\r\n\u201cThe summit provided a great opportunity not only to help students develop action plans that will tangibly decrease the carbon footprint of their high schools, but also to pass along to younger peers some of the optimism and passion we feel about addressing climate change,\u201d said Amelia Fontein, a UVM junior from Tinmouth, Vermont. \u201cSen. Sanders\u2019 involvement has been key to the success we\u2019ve had recruiting students and in underlining the importance of this issue.\u201d\u00a0\r\nGillian Galford, a research professor and fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological, shared research on the impact climate change will have on Vermont in coming decades.\r\n\u201cThe University of Vermont is honored to be hosting the inaugural Vermont Youth Climate Summit in partnership with Sen. Sanders,\u201d said Professor Jon Erickson of UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. \u201cThrough building strong peer networks, we hope this summit elevates the voice of our youth and ties their education to concrete action on climate change.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-120514", "The Week in Review", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Week in Review\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 5, 2014\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tReal unemployment in November was 11.4 percent, the U.S. Labor Department announced on Friday. \u201cWe need to put the unemployed back to work and raise wages,\u201d Sanders said in a Senate speech on Tuesday. Up to 15,000 good Postal Service jobs may be eliminated starting in January unless Congress stops the planned cuts, senators warned in a series of speeches on Thursday. On Wednesday, Sanders chaired a hearing on exorbitant drug prices. And on Friday, the senator welcomed students from across Vermont to a Youth Climate Summit at the University of Vermont.\r\nJobs The government\u2019s broadest measure of unemployment stood at 11.4 percent in November. The figure counts workers forced to settle for part-time jobs and others who gave up looking for work.\u00a0\r\nRaise the Minimum Wage The new jobless numbers were announced one day after fast-food workers and others in low-paying jobs launched one-day strikes across the United States demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage and union rights. Sanders spoke to protesters outside the Air and Space Museum in Washington. Watch\r\nAn American Economic Agenda In his major Senate speech on Tuesday, Sanders said the American people face a fundamental choice. \u201cDo we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda?\u201d Watch, Read more in The Huffington Post\u00a0\r\nDrug Prices A Senate panel on Wednesday examined exorbitant prices for new treatments for hepatitis C, an often fatal liver disease. Gilead, the leading manufacturer of the drugs, refused to testify at the hearing about the $84,000 it charges for a 12-week regimen of Sovaldi and the $94,500 price tag for a newer drug, Harvoni. The price per pill is about $1,000 for Sovaldi $1,125 for Harvoni. \u201cWhat we are looking at is a very excessive profit,\u201d said Sanders, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs. He called it \u201cdeplorable\u201d and a \u201cmoral issue\u201d that the life-saving drug may have to be rationed by the Department of Veterans Affairs because the price makes it unaffordable for all who need it.\r\nSave the Postal Service Warning that the future of the U.S. Postal Service is at stake, Sanders on Thursday called on managers of the mail system to back off plans to slow deliveries and eliminate as many as 15,000 jobs. Despite big increases in revenue, Postal Service managers are forging ahead with a self-destructive plan to close up to 82 mail-sorting centers and gut first-class mail standards. House Republican leaders refused to consider a plea by 51 senators, a majority, and 160 members of the House of Representatives who signed a letter supporting a moratorium on the cuts. Increasing revenue would have resulted in nearly $1 billion in profits over the past two years except for an unprecedented requirement that the Postal Service sink billions of dollars into an already-flush fund for future retiree health benefits. The requirement was slipped into law at the request of President George W. Bush during a lame-duck session of Congress. Watch\r\nYouth Climate Summit Vermont high school students and teachers from schools throughout the state gathered at UVM on Friday. 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